


Just One Yesterday

by Titania13



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Hale Family, Alternate Universe - Human, Derek Wears Glasses, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kinda, M/M, Multi, Orange (Takano Ichigo) AU, Sheriff Stilinski's Name is John, Slow Build, and weird relationships, but plotwise, i'll update the tags as the story progresses, kinda?? i mean derek's mom just got mentioned, like are they friends or more??, not relationship wise, oh and derek's in high school obvs so he's the same age as the others, or something, stalia is like the somehow kinda important side-ship that nobody likes, there's gonna be lots of pain, they're all soo OoC i cant even, time jumps, time travelling, trigger warning for later chapters!, trigger warning: mentions of suicide, we may never know
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-15
Updated: 2016-05-16
Packaged: 2018-05-01 19:23:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5217791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Titania13/pseuds/Titania13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“To the me who is in second year high school, have you been well?<br/>I am writing this to you from ten years in the future.<br/>If you are wondering why I’m writing this to you at this time, it’s because I have something, no matter what, that I need to ask of you.”</p><p>One day, Scott McCall got a letter from the apparent 10 years older version of himself, asking him to change the present so he won’t have a lifetime of regrets. But what could have happened in the future that he wants to change the past so badly? How did the letter even get to him?<br/>And what has the new transfer student to do with it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cherry Blossoms (To The Me Ten Years In The Past)

**Author's Note:**

> This story is based on a manga (a japanese comic, if you will) called Orange by Takano Ichigo.  
> The title is based on Fall Out Boy's song "Just One Yesterday".  
> I don't own anything.
> 
> I won't promise fast updates, because I'm pretty busy with school and life at the moment.  
> All the chapters are unbeta'd, and English isn't my native language.  
> Please feel free to point out any mistakes you might find.
> 
> I appreciate all the feedback I can get and I hope I didn't create too much confusion with the HTML stuff
> 
> (Get your tissues ready for later chapters.)

 

* * *

  _During the spring of my 16 th year,_  
_I received a letter._  
_The spring of my 16 th year…_  
_A hand in hand miracle_.

* * *

“Scott! You’re going to be late!”

“I know, I just need to get something!” Scott yelled back, sprinting to the kitchen.  
He found the lunch he made on the table, but as he reached for it, he frowned.

Next to it was a pile of newsletters and advertisement. On top of it, a letter.

Carefully, he took it with his other hand.  
There was his name on it, and when he turned it around to look from who it was, his frown deepend.

“It’s… from me?” He muttered.

“Scott!” His mother called again.

“Yeah, coming!” Scott answered, taking both his lunch and the letter with him as he hurried to the front door, where his mother was waiting for him, his bag in her hands.

He grabbed it from her, pressed a kiss on her cheek and called a “Thanks!” over his shoulder as he ran out the door.

 _I’ll read this later,_ he thought as he shoved the letter into his bag while he ran.

 

* * *

 I’ve thought of what I’m going to write in my diary today.

April 6th:  
The first time I’ve slept in.

* * *

 

“Congratulations on moving up a grade! Guess I’ll be seeing your stupid faces for another long, long year. Let’s try not to kill each other. Don’t look at me like that, Greenberg! It’s still a mystery to me how you even passed last year… So! About today’s lesson…”

Scott tuned Finstock out.  
Slowly, he picked the letter out of the book it apparently slipped in, not caring for how crumpled the page looked.

“Ah, I totally forgot – today, another brat will be joining you. Transfer student. Dear Lord, how am I going to survive this year… I gotta go get him. Please, for God’s sake, don’t blow anything up. Lookin’ at you, Greenberg.”

As soon as the door closed behind their teacher, the whole class broke out in chatter and giggles.

Scott carefully picked at the envelope, trying to open it without messing up its content.

 

* * *

  _“Scott McCall_

_To the me who is in second year high school, have you been well? I am writing this to you from ten years in the future.  
If you are wondering why I’m writing this to you at this time, it’s because I have something, no matter what, that I need to ask of you.”_

* * *

 

 

 _10 years in the future…? And it’s ‘me’… Is this some sort of prank?_   Scott thought, but continued reading.

 

 

* * *

  _“I hope you won’t repeat the same mistakes.  
In this letter, I’ll write what will happen next and when it will happen, so that you can select the right path._

_April 6 th  
\- In the morning, because you forgot to set your alarm clock for the first time ever, you overslept.”_

* * *

Scott froze.  
“No way!” He whispered. How did they know..?

 

* * *

_“- There will be a student from Poland transferring into Class 6. His name is ‘Stiles Stilinski’.”_

* * *

Transfer student? Stiles…?

The boy flinched when the door opened loudly.  
“Will you quiet down already!” Finstock yelled, one hand rubbing over his face.

He entered the class room, and Scott stared at the figure following him.

“That’s the transfer student I told you about, ah… How did you pronounce that again?”  
Their teacher frowned at the poor guy who stood in front of them, head bent.

“Just Stiles is fine.” 

Scott barely heard him, he spoke so quiet.

Finstock stared at him skeptically.

“… Whatever. So… There you have it. Stiles. Stiles… Stilinski. Starting today, he’ll be a part of our class. Please don’t try to scare him off on his first day already.”

He roughly clapped a hand on the boy’s shoulder; he stumbled on the spot, but didn’t look up.  
Finstock grinned at them.

“Bilinski here comes from Poland, and his dad’s the new Sheriff! So I wouldn’t mess with the kid. Hey, boy, introduce yourself. Maybe we can pass some time like that.”

The new student finally lifted his head, and his amber eyes met Scott’s brown ones.  
His fingers were twitching at his side, and his right hand shot up to grip the strap of his bag tightly, but his face remained blank.

“Just… Call me Stiles. It’s not my first time here in Beacon Hills, so I can speak English just fine…”  
His eyes were wandering all over the place, and Scott could hear him tapping his foot in a stressed rhythm.  
“We moved here, uhm… Because of my dad’s job. Yeah. So, uhm… yeah.”

Stiles suddenly grew quiet, almost bouncing on the spot.

Scott lowered his eyes, staring at the letter in front of him with eyes as wide as the moon.

So… It’s true?

How…

 

* * *

  _"H_ _is name is ‘Stiles Stilinski’._

_He will sit next to you.”_

* * *

 

 

“… Well then. I guess this’ll have to do. You can go sit down, then. Next to McCall’s a seat.”

Scott’s eyes shot up again and he flinched, suddenly feeling all of his friend’s eyes on him.

 _But… No way._  
There was no way this could be right.  
All of this was just a coincidence—

Stiles slowly sat down next to him, face turned towards his desk.

_It had to be a coincidence!_

* * *

 

After the bell rang, a hand was messing up his hair.

“Scooott! Let’s go home together!”

Scott yelped and laid his head back, staring straight up at Allison’s smiling face.

“For lunch, we can go to my house and have some bread!” Erica chimed in, Lydia trailing after her.

The teenager smiled and nodded.  
“Cool!” He answered and Erica’s face lit up even more.

But then Scott froze.

“Ah! Hey, Stiles!”

Scott turned his head, as he slowly got out of his seat.

Allison had called after the boy, who now stopped in the doorframe.  
His shoulders tensed, and as he slowly turned his head, his right hand shot up to grip the strap of his bag again.

“Join us for lunch!”

Stiles’ eyes widened barely noticeable and he slowly turned around completely.  
“Ah, no… Today, I—“

“Aw, come on!” Allison chirped, gripping his free hand and pulling him with her towards the others.

Derek eventually stood next to Scott, watching the events quietly.

“Yeah, Stiles! Come over and have some bread with us!” Erica joined.

“Erica’s parents own a bakery. The bread there is delicious!”

“We’ll show you around!”

“It’s rare that we get a half day,” Lydia added calmly, lips turning into a soft smile.

“… But—,“ Stiles weakly protested.

 

* * *

 

_The letter then says…_

 

_“- You’ll invite Stiles to walk home together, but he’ll say no._

**_// I hope that you guys won’t invite Stiles on that day. Absolutely not."_ **

 

* * *

 

 _The letter said no…_ Scott thought as they walked out of the building, slowly trailing behind the others.  
He should talk about it with the others, but…

Would they even believe him?

 

* * *

 

 “If it’s only for a bit…” Stiles eventually gave in, still looking a bit hesitant.

“Awesome!” Allison cheered, reaching up to the boy’s shoulders and slightly pushing him forwards in front of her.

“Alright alright, let’s go to my house!” Erica hummed happily.

Allison giggled, and Scott caught up with them.  
He softly cocked his head to the side, as he saw that Stiles wore a soft smile on his lips.

_If we invite him… Will there be some sort of problem?  
_

 

* * *

 

“Let’s all introduce ourselves! First, we have Erica Reyes.”

The blonde girl waved at him, grinning from ear to ear.

“Lydia Martin…”

Lydia nodded at him, carefully checking him from head to toes.  
“Nice to meet you,” she eventually said, smiling again.

“Derek Hale,”

The oldest of them pushed his glasses back up his nose, and only nodded in answer.

“Scott McCall…”

Scott just smiled at him, and Stiles hesitantly answered it.

“… and I’m Allison Argent! Just call me Ally!” She finally finished.

Erica softly nudged Stiles with her elbow.  
“Derek failed to mention it, but you can just call him Sourwolf! He’s always so grumpy and gloomy, but don’t worry about it. Deep down he’s pretty sappy.”

Derek actually _growled_ at her.  
“Am not!”

“Of course you are!”

“Shut up!”

“C’mon, guys, behave! Don’t scare the newbie off already!” Allison sighed dramatically, turning around to face Stiles.

They all froze, when they saw that he was hiding his face beneath his free hand.

“… Stiles?” Scott carefully spoke up. Was he crying?

But then Scott heard giggling, and when Stiles pulled away his hand, he was outright laughing.

They were staring at him in awe when Allison and Erica cried out: “Oh my god, he laughed!”

He quietly watched as the two girls jumped at the suddenly overwhelmed guy.

“What made you laugh?”

“Come on, you can tell us!”

“Ah, uhm… Nothing in particular, I guess—“

 

_He smiled…_

_What is this?_

_This… is good._

_… Yes. Inviting him was a good thing._

* * *

 

They all sat down in the field behind the bakery, on the grass beneath a cherry tree.

“Guyys, I brought the bread!” Erica yelled as she approached them, holding up multiple bags.

She let herself plop down next to them, placing the bags in front of her.

“I brought two for everyone today,” she explained, and then began pointing to each bag.  
“We have pork buns, meat buns, curry buns, chocolate croissants, melon bread and apple cinnamon rolls!”

“Stiles, go on and pick first,” Allison invited him softly and he held up his hands.

“Ah, it doesn’t matter—“

Lydia glared at him.

“Uhm, I- I prefer the chocolate croissant, though.”

“Good choice!” Allison smiled, and Erica handed him over the bag with the croissants.  
“What about you, Scott?”

He really liked the curry buns.

“Ah, I… don’t really mind.”

Allison eyed him skeptically.  
“Really? Are you just being courteous again?”

Scott frantically shook his head.

 _If someone wants it, then it’d be really bad if I said I wanted it too,_ he thought sighing.

“I really don’t mind,” he repeated.

His best friend shrugged.  
“Then everyone can pick the one they want,” Allison offered.

“Then I want the other croissant!” Erica yelled.

“No way! I want it!” Derek hissed.

Lydia quietly reached for an apple cinnamon roll.

“Stiles should take the curry bread!”  
Allison reached for another bag and held it towards Stiles.  
“Scott prefers sweets, so he can have a melon bread and the other apple cinnamon roll.”

“I’ll take the curry bread,” Derek threw in.

“Eh?! I want it!” Erica argued.

“You can eat it whenever you want!”

“Give it to me!”

Scott laughed quietly.

_Good thing I say I didn’t want the curry bread._

He suddenly felt a pair of eyes on him and when he turned his head, he caught Stiles staring at him with an unreadable expression.

A soft breeze was messing with their hair and clothes, and Stiles reached up to run a hand through his hair.

Next thing he knew was the bag being held in his face.

“The curry bread…”

Scott stared at the bag.

“I’ll trade you the melon bread for it!”

His eyes wandered around it, to meet Stiles’ glowing ones.  
The other boy was smiling at Scott, hand still stretched out.

“Ah… Thank you,” Scott replied, slowly reaching for it.

He handed Stiles his own bag, which the other boy took without hesitating.

Scott slowly started picking at the bread.

Did Stiles notice?

Did Scott make a face like he wanted the curry bread?

Is it because he noticed… that he wanted to trade?

 

Stiles was smiling with them for the rest of the day.

 

* * *

 

April 6th (Friday)  
  
I slept in for the first time in my life.  
It was only a half day at school.  
Transfer student Stiles Stilinski sits next to me.  
Inviting Stiles to go home with us, as everyone takes a stroll in the sunset.  
I walked behind Stiles.

 

* * *

 

“Bye!”

“See you!”

Scott and Allison turned around, while Stiles continued in another direction.

Suddenly Allison stopped and whirled around.  
“Stiles!”

The boy in question turned his head, looking at her expectantly.

“… Is it even all right for us to call you ‘Stiles’? I mean…?” She asked hesitantly, voice trailing off in the end, unsure of how to continue.

Stiles looked surprised for a second.

But then there was something in his eyes, and he smiled.

“Yeah. Please call me that.”

Allison’s shoulders sagged in relief, and she smiled back.

 

Stiles waved at them until they were around the corner.

  

* * *

 

 _I’ve decided that starting Monday, I’ll call him Stiles._  
_Finstock tried to pronounce his given name multiple times that day, and failed every time._  
 _We tried, too, but when we did... Stiles looked at us with that blank expression he wore when he first arrived._  
 _Maybe we could do it with some time and training, but we won’t._  
 _I won’t._

_Because he wants us to call him Stiles._

 

* * *

  

Scott closed his diary, satisfied with what he wrote.

Now that today’s entry was written, what could he do?

His eyes fell on his bag.

The letter.

He went to grab it and sat down on his bed, reading it again.

It said everything that happened today;

From sleeping in,

To going home together with everyone.

Besides—

It’s just like what he wrote in his diary.

If this letter really was written by him10 years in the future, it was probably written by looking at his diary.

He held them next to each other, comparing them word by word, and they really were exactly the same.

With that realization, his hands began to tremble.

Scott forcefully pressed the letter against his chest, not daring to look at it again.

If this was real…

Then he didn’t want to see it.

The future or whatever…

He didn’t need to know about it.

He didn’t want to.

 

* * *

 

 Scott stared at the empty seat next to him, and a bad feeling gnawed at him.

“Is Stiles sick today?” He wondered as he got up, Allison leaning against his desk as soon as the bell rang.

“Dunno,” she answered, frowning. “Should’ve asked for his number.”

He looked at her.  
“What’s wrong—“

“You’ve noticed?”

“Noticed…?”

“Stiles. Have you taken notice of him?”

Scott froze in the doorway.  
“W-What? I- No, I- I’m going first!” he stuttered and hurried off.

He could hear Erica asking what was wrong with him, but rounded the corner without looking back nonetheless.

 

For two weeks after that, Stiles didn’t come to school.

 

* * *

 

  ** _“_** ** _// I hope you guys won’t invite Stiles on that day. Absolutely not.”_**

 

* * *

 

Scott stared at the first page.

What if it had something to do with it?

What if it really was wrong to invite him?

Maybe… It’s written in the letter…?

He took out the next page.

 

* * *

 

 _“_ April 20th  
  
\- The big game  
\- During the lacrosse game, I was asked to participate.  
**// I really regret saying no. I hope you won’t refuse this time, and accept everyone’s request.**

_\- That day, I fell in love with Stiles.”_

 

* * *

 

 “Scott!”

“We’re up first.”

“Sorry, I was asked to get the balls…” He rasped out when he finally caught up to Erica and Lydia.

 

* * *

 

_The letter didn’t explain the reason for Stiles’ absence._

_I think, if that day, we wouldn’t have invited Stiles…_

_Maybe it could’ve prevented that scenario from happening._

 

* * *

 

 When they made it to the lacrosse field, Scott froze.

“Stiles?” He called out, and said boy turned his head.

Allison and Derek stood next to him, waving at Scott and the others.

“Yo, Stiles!” Erica yelled and ran up to them, followed by Lydia who sighed in relief.

“You’re back! We were worried.”

Scott was last to arrive, but just in time to see Stiles breaking out into a big grin, blushing slightly while nervously rubbing his neck with his hand.

 

_Ah, it’s just like two weeks ago._

_That’s great._

 

“Hey, Stiles. What happened that you were absent for two weeks?” Erica asked the question they all wanted an answer to; even Derek was looking at Stiles expectantly.

Stiles’ smile wavered for a second, and Scott had to keep himself from frowning.

“Ah, y’know, just slacking off some.”

 

**Slacking off ?**

“We’re going to our game!”

“Come cheer us on!”

“We should be saying that…”

 

**That’s all there is to it?**

 

**...**

 

**I don’t believe him.**

 

* * *

 

 Scott was walking over the field with the others, when he noticed that Stiles sat down on the bleachers.

Without telling the others, he walked up to him.

“Stiles, are you participating?” He asked, plopping down next to the other boy. He pulled his knees to his chest, and reached around his legs to grab his feet with his hands.

Stiles flinched and glanced at him for a second, before looking back to the field.

“Ah… no. I’m in charge of first aid.”

“Huh? Why?” Scott continued confused.

Stiles shrugged.

“I didn’t come to school, so I couldn’t practice.”

“That kind of thing doesn’t matter,” Scott argued irritated.

They sat in silence.

“What’s wrong with your foot?” Stiles suddenly asked, glancing at Scott’s feet.

“Huh?”  
Scott followed his eyes, and realized he was kneading his left foot.  
He quickly let go and could feel his cheeks heating up.

“Does it hurt?” Stiles asked, now looking straight at Scott.

Scott hesitated before sighing deeply.

“Mhm… My shoes, they’re a bit…” His voice died down.

“Small?”

“I made a sizing mistake when I asked for them…” He continued, embarrassed.

“… Have you been wearing them since first year?”

Scott averted his eyes.

“I don’t want to ask for another pair…” He mumbled.

Stiles hummed quietly in understanding.

They sat in silence again.

“… Allison plays lacrosse?”

“Ah, yeah. Derek too. They’re pretty good.”

“.. Erica sucks.”

Scott huffed out a laugh, because, well.

It was true.

Stiles didn’t speak up for the rest of the time.

 

* * *

 

 It’s 6:5 for the other team when Erica and another girl showed up, begging him to join them for the last minute.

Even though he read it in the letter, he was scared of it.

Everyone had expectations for him, but he didn’t have the confidence.

Even if he went out, they’d definitely lose—

“I’m… sorry, I can’t,” he mumbled weakly, fiddling his thumbs.

“Aw, Scotty, please—“

“Don’t pressure him,” Stiles interrupted them, getting on his feet.  
“He hurt his foot.”

“You’re hurt?” The other girl asked worried, and Erica’s eyes widened.

“What? When…”

“No, no, I’m not hurt,” Scott cut her off, shaking his head before looking at the ground.  
“I’m… the one to blame…” he whispered.

“Then…”

He blinked and lifted his gaze.

“I’ll do it!”

Erica pointed at herself, a forced smile on her lips.

“There’s a chance I may miss the target, so you’ll have to forgive me, though!”  
She laughed shakily.

 

* * *

 

_The letter says:_

_“After Erica takes my place on the field, we lost the game.”_

_Is refusing_

_Really a good idea?_

_The letter says that I should_

_‘accept their request’_

_And_

_‘I really regret saying no’._

_I will definitely regret it…_

_Pushing the responsibility on my friend._

_Not doing the things I am supposed to do…_

_I’m just running away._

_That’s terrible._

 

* * *

 

 “Actually… You know what, I’ll do it.”

The others all stared at him.

“But Scott, your leg…”

“It’s fine!”  
He waved at them, before pulling on the gear they brought him and hurrying off to the field.

 

* * *

 

Who cared about his leg?

It’s not a problem

At all.

The pain will go away

But a regretful heart…

Won’t change for another ten years.

 

It’ll be okay.

 

* * *

 

They won.

Derek’s team won, too, so their class was like the ultimate winner.

 

“Scott, let’s get back to class!”

“Sorry, you guys can go ahead. I’ll be right there.”

“Hm? Okay, see ya, then!”

Scott waited until the others disappeared in the building, before resting his weight on his right foot.

He’d go to the infirmary…

Scott barely manage to wobble a few steps, when he heard steps behind him.

“Nyoom! Toot toot!” A highpitched voice called.

Scott turned his head in irritation.

“The ambulance has come,” Stiles explained, holding up the first aid kit with a grin, and Scott laughed.

“Come on, you should sit down,” the other boy offered, pointing at a bench only a few steps away from them.

“Ah, no, it’s okay—“

“Just let me see it,” Stiles’ grin faded into a worried frown, and Scott obeyed.

They sat in silence once again.

When Stiles was bandaging his foot up, he suddenly started talking again without looking up.

“If your shoe isn’t the right size, you need to speak up.”

Scott hesitated, before mumbling: “We… can’t really afford it. So I’ll just endure it.”

Stiles glanced up, and there was a knowing look in his eyes.

“If you are always suppressing yourself though, the only one missing out is you.”

“If it’s going to cause the people next to me any trouble, I’d rather suffer on my own,” Scott replied without thinking.

It was too late to turn back now, anyway, so he just continued.  
  
“Nobody noticed, anyway. So, if I endured it on my own, then it won’t go by much faster. It… was always like this.”  
  
Stiles finished bandaging it up, and Scott put on his shoe again.

The raven haired boy was still kneeling in front of him, not meeting his eyes.

“I saw it.”

Scott froze in his tracks.

“And… I noticed.”

A memory flashed through his head.

 

_“The curry bread… I’ll trade you the melon bread for it!”_

_“Ah… Thank you.”_

… So he did notice back then.

Stiles closed the first aid kit loudly, getting back on his feet.

“Alright, be careful,” he warned Scott.

“Thank you—“

“Mhm.”

Scott stared at Stiles’ slim figure in front of him.

Suddenly, a thought found its way to his mouth.

“You too!”

Stiles turned his head.

“If you want to play lacrosse, then you should just say it!”

His eyes widened.

“Because…”

Scott took a deep breath.

“I noticed, too.”

The wind rustled their clothes and messed with their hair.

Stiles was still staring at him, wide eyed and gaping.  
  
But then his lips moved into a soft grin.

“Next year, I’ll definitely participate. Just watch! I’ll play even better than Derek and Allison!”

Scott laughed.

 “Yeah, for sure!”

 

Stiles waved at him, still smiling.

 

* * *

 

 _The things that were written in the letter…_  
  
_They all came true._

_“- That day, I fell in love with Stiles.”_

_I was happy to hear him say ‘I noticed’._

_The me living 10 years in the future…_

_Has he let go of this regret?_

 

* * *

 

“Scott!”

He turned his head and got up from the bench he sat on.

Allison walked up to him, all smiling and blushing.

“Look at these flowers! Pretty, right?”

“What are you going to do with those…?”

“They’re for Stiles!”

Scott frowned.

“He won’t like that kind of thing.”

“It’s okay!”

Scott reached for the little girl who had her arms outstretched towards him, and carried her on his arms.

“By the way, what did you bring him?”

“It’s a secret!” Scott smirked, and Allison pouted, spinning the bouquet of flowers in her hands.

Together they walked down the path of the hill.

“The cherry blossoms bloomed early this year…”

Scott hummed in agreement.

“… I can’t believe we’re 27 now.”

The father closed his eyes.

“I want to start over…” Allison continued, “I want to go back to our high school days.”

“I know…” he answered quietly, voice soft, and Allison smiled at him.

Their free hands entwined, as they watched the cherry blossoms whirl around them, covering the world in color and life.

 

* * *

 

_“To the me ten years in the past, there are a lot of happy and joyful things that are waiting for you.  
I hope you can cherish that happiness, and don’t let that happiness die._

_Finally, I want to tell you the most important reason for writing this letter._

_The 26-year-old me walked away with many, many regrets._

_I’m writing this letter because I don’t want the 26-year-old me to carry a lifetime of regret._

_Ten years later,_

_Stiles is no longer with us._

_Please don’t just let the important things go by so easily._

_And please…_

_Watch over Stiles closely.”_

 

* * *

  

**TBC**

 


	2. Presents (Ten Years In The Future, Stiles Isn't Here)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "// I want you to help Stiles whenever he looks troubled."
> 
> That’s…  
> All the letter said about today.  
> This... didn’t happen to the future me.  
> It’s suddenly scary...  
> To not know what might happen next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, finally made it! So sorry for the delay. I'll explain at the end of the chapter.
> 
> Trigger warning for this chapter! Look at the tags or the A/N at the end.

 

* * *

 

_“Ten years in the future, Stiles isn’t here.”_

 

* * *

 

_April 23 rd:_

_\- Stiles joined the lacrosse team as a temporary player._

_\- He told us his mom doesn’t make him lunch, so I said that I would make him one and bring it the next day._

 

* * *

 

“Derek! Let’s go and get some bread!”

“Ah- can I come, too?”

They all stared at Stiles as he got up and shyly glanced at them every once and again, before his eyes flickered all over the room.

“No lunch again today?” Allison asked, frowning slightly.

Stiles blinked at her, but then put a smile on his lips.  
“Oh, yeah- my mom doesn’t make me one, so…”  
He huffed out a laugh and rubbed his neck.

Allison stared at him for another second, before shrugging it off.

… So the letter was right again.

“… But you have one, Ally,” Stiles pointed out, looking at the lunchbox she held in her hands. “You still getting bread?”

“Yeah, this isn’t enough for me,” she answered, shrugging again.

“That’s because you’re a beast.”

“Shut up, Erica.”  
She then put a hand on Derek’s shoulder and grinned.  
“Derek too. His mom provides him with lunch everyday.”

“Yeah. Every morning there’s 5 bucks on the table.”  
He shoved his glasses up his nose. “We’re the same, Stiles.”

“… Don’t group me with you.”

Scott smiled and watched the scenery in front of him.

 

* * *

 

_Ten years in the future,_

_Stiles isn’t here._

_So,_

_He…_

_Died?_

_That’s the only part_

_I can’t believe._

 

* * *

 

“Scott! Come shopping with us on the way home! We need someone to carry our bags,” Erica pleaded, and Lydia behind her just raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, uhm… sure,” he answered hesitantly.

“Stiles! You busy today?” Allison interrupted.

“Uh.. why?”

“Won’t you come check out the lacrosse team?”

“… Why would I?”

“’Why’? I heard, y’know!”

Allison had grabbed the poor boy’s hand and played with his fingers while wearing an innocent grin.

“… That you said you are better at lacrosse than we are. Right… Scott?”

Scott froze, and Allison and Stiles now both stared at him; his best friend still innocently, and Stiles in horror.

“Scott!” Stiles cried out, pouting.

“Ah, I—sorry—“

A fist softly brushed his shoulder.

Stiles had pulled away from Allison and was now smirking at him. “Don’t tell people!”

Scott stared at him.

_He…_

_Just hit me._

“What was that, Stiles?”

“What was what?”

“That ‘don’t tell people’ and hitting him? Is that popular in Poland?”

“Of course not, Erica!”

“Alright, Stiles! Let’s go!” Allison interrupted.  
She then leaned against Scott’s desk.  
“When you’re finished, come see the training, too,” she muttered and then grinned.

“He’s coming shopping with us today,” Lydia argued and frowned.

“Just go another day.”

“Aw no—“

“Come to watch?” She asked again, and Scott nodded.

“Sure!”

Allison smiled happily, and he couldn’t help but smile back.

 

The whole time, he could feel Stiles’ eyes on him.

 

_It feels like_

_We will be this close_

_Forever._

* * *

 

The whole time during practice, Stiles was smiling.

 

* * *

 

“Stiles, you’re really good!”

“Yeah, we saw your goal! You played before?”

“Ah, yes. Back in elementary school…” Stiles answered as he walked up to them.

“Stiles is great, but did you see me?” Allison interrupted, pouting. “It’s thanks to my passing that he scored!”

“Yeah, well, the guy who scores is the cool one.”

“Lydia…” Allison cried, but then she cheered up and ran a hand through Stiles’ hair.  
“He’s joining the club starting tomorrow!”

“Wha- I never said that!” Stiles argued and tried to escape her hand.

“The team said that you should join, too.”

“But I- I suck at waking up, I can’t make it to morning practice!”

“Then just join as a temporary player! You only come in the afternoon!” Allison offered, frowning. “Okay?”

Stiles hesitated.

“I guess… temporary is fine…” he mumbled.

Allison cheered and threw her fists in the air, before she highfived Erica.

“But only temporary!” He repeated hastily, but then lost his inner fight and smiled at them.

Scott hummed in appreciation.

_I knew that he loved lacrosse._

* * *

 

“You’re like a mom.”

Scott froze. “Come again?”

Stiles smiled shyly.  
“You know what I mean.”

“You make your own lunch every day, too!” Erica chimed in.

The transfer student’s eyes lit up.  
“That’s so cool!” He hesitated for a second, before jokingly adding: “Make me lunch too, then!”

“Sure!”  
Scott smiled when he saw Stiles’ amber eyes widen.

For a second, his expression went blank, and Scott almost asked if he said something wrong.  
But then, the other boy broke out into a grin, awkwardly rubbing his neck.

“No, no, it’s fine! I was just kidding, just kidding.”

Scott stared at him.

“Hey, guys, I’m gonna change!”

“Alright.”

 

**… “Just kidding”, huh.**

**…**

**“Just kidding”…**

 

* * *

 

I  
really  
want to bring him lunch…

It’s just

He said he was

“just kidding”

So it would be weird.

…

Then I won’t.

Right.

 

* * *

 

  _" April 23rd _

_-He told us his mom didn’t make him lunch, so I said that I would make him one and bring it the next day._

_\- I didn’t do it in the end._  
  
Make it and give it to him or you’ll regret it.

**_//April 24 th, I want you to make him lunch.”_ **

****

* * *

 

Scott stared at the letter for another second, before putting it down on his bed.

Determined, he got up and hurried into the kitchen.

 

* * *

 

“’Morning.”

“A-Ah, good morning!”

Stiles cocked his head as he sat down, but didn’t say anything.

Scott immediately tried to avoid his gaze and stared down at his desk.

 

_Alright!_

_I’ll just wait ‘til lunch._

_Then I put it on his desk._

_~~(and then I’ll run)~~ _

_It’ll be fine if it’s weird_

_It’ll be fine_

_F i n e !_

* * *

 

He barely heard the bell ring.

 

_“Stiles, I made you lunch!” … ?_

_“Hey, Stiles…”_

 

“Stiles!”

Scott’s head shot up in surprise.

“You coming with us?” Allison asked from where she stood in the doorway, brows raised.

Stiles blinked at her, before he flashed a toothy grin and got up from his seat.  
“Ah, yeah!”

Scott opened his mouth to call after him, but his head suddenly was empty.

_Ah, shit. I couldn’t do it._

He stood with a sigh and slowly followed after them.

 

* * *

 

Scott tried to ignore the thundering footsteps behind him, but it was hard to ignore the voice almost shouting in his ear.

“Hey! Where are Erica and the others?”

He barely glanced at Stiles now walking beside him before he answered.  
“They’re on cleaning duty. I was told to just go ahead.”

Stiles quietly hummed in understanding.

For a while they walked in silence, when the Polish boy spook up again.

“Your bag looks huge today, Scotty! Isn’t it heavy?”

Scott flinched at the nickname.

“What’s in it? Should I carry it?”

His eyes widened when Stiles tried to reach for his bag, and Scott stumbled away from his touch.  
“No, don’t!”

Stiles stared at him, hand still outstretched, but his expression slowly faltering.  
He slowly lowered his hand, until it hung limply at his side, before casting his eyes downwards.

“Sorry,” Stiles muttered softly, before turning around and walking back the way they came.

Scott clenched his teeth, before letting out a heavy sigh.

“ _I’m_ sorry…” He whispered exhausted, rubbing a hand over his face.

 

_If it wasn’t for that letter…_

_If I never made his lunch…_

_…_

_I wish I never read it._

* * *

 

Scott didn’t think he ever ran this fast after someone.

But soon enough he recognized Stiles and Allison walking side by side not far from him.

“Stiles!” He yelled and when they both turned around in confusion, he came to a stop in front of them.  
He was wheezing slightly and panting as he rested his hands against his knees, but as soon as he calmed down he blurted out: “Stiles, I’m sorry about earlier!”

Stiles’ eyes widened when he finally understood. Then he huffed out a quiet laugh.

“Walk home with us?” He asked softly, a small smile on his lips.

Suddenly it was Allison who chuckled quietly.  
“I’ll go ahead, then!” She announced with a grin.

Scott paled, while Stiles suddenly fiddled with the strap of his bag and shuffled his feet, while muttering a confused, “U-Uhm, wha…?”

Allison gave him a pat on the shoulder.  
“I’ll ask later. See ya!”

She waved at Scott, and then just walked ahead of them.

Scott glared at her back, but he felt Stiles’ eyes resting on him.

But then he realized-

_… This was never mentioned in the letter! Oh my god-_

He slowly started to move, and felt Stiles doing the same next to him.

… Oh boy.

 

* * *

It was quiet again.

The trees were softly rushing in the soft breeze, and the sun was shining down on them through the leaves.

“… Hey, Scott. Where do you live?”

Scott startled and finally turned his head to look at Stiles, only to meet his amber eyes.

Something about them seemed off, but he couldn’t point out what exactly.

“… Near the hospital. My mom’s a nurse, so it’s really convenient,” he explained cautiously, still meeting the other’s eyes.

Stiles seemed to flinch.

Scott pretended not to notice.  
“What about you?” He asked instead.

“Me? Near the police station. Same reason though,” Stiles answered with a warm smile.  
He suddenly sat down on a bench and patted the empty space next to himself, before looking up at Scott with big eyes.  
“Sit with me?”

Scott could only nod and slowly sit down.

  

* * *

 

**_“// I want you to help Stiles whenever he looks troubled.”_ **

 

* * *

****

_That’s…_

_All the letter said about today._

_This... didn’t happen to the future me._

_It’s suddenly scary..._

_To not know what might happen next._

 

“What do you usually do at home?” Stiles spoke up again, still smiling.  
He was now looking at the trees, though, and his eyes seemed clouded and distant.

“Ah, I usually just help my mom out,” he replied, playing with the fingers on his lap.

“What about hobbies? Nothing you like to do?” Stiles continued, still not looking at him.

It made Scott uneasy.

“Not really, to be honest…”

Stiles laughed quietly at that.

 _He’s always laughing…_ Scott noticed.

_But since he’s asking so many questions…_

_I might surely ask back._

“How about you? What do you usually do at home?”

“I play videogames.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yup.”

Well…

“Then…” Scott thought about it.  
“Were you playing videogames when you took that two week vacation?”

It was meant to come out like a joke, really.

But Stiles’ smile suddenly faltered, and his eyes became dull.

“… Right,” was all he said.  
His voice was all quiet and seemed to break at the end.

Scott was taken aback and studied his face for a few seconds.  
It suddenly seemed as blank as it was when he first arrived.

“T-Then…” Scott helplessly tried to think of something.  
Ah-  
“Then what about the lacrosse team? Why won’t you join? You seemed like you were really enjoying it-“

He shut his mouth when Stiles blinked slowly, his shoulders tensing for a second, before he abruptly seemed to slump in on himself.

The pale boy seemed to take a deep breath, blinked again, exhaled in a shuddering sigh.

“My mom committed suicide on our first day of school.”

Scott froze.

_Suicide...?_

Two birds were playing and wrestling happily not far from their feet, but Stiles’ empty voice still echoed in his head.

“So… I was absent, for- for the funeral, and dad and I still had to move some stuff…”  
His quiet voice eventually trailed off completely.

_… I really thought it was okay for me to ask him stuff, too…_

“Mom, she… didn’t want me to join a club.”

_…since he had so many questions for me._

Scott flinched when Stiles let out a breathy laugh; it sounded tired and bitter.

“I’m sorry for bringing this up. It must seem... weird to you…” he mumbled.

Scott shook his head with wide eyes.  
“No, _I’m_ sorry for asking. And why would it be weird?”  
_I'm glad you told me the truth. But it would be inappropriate to say this now, I guess._  
Many things seemed inappropriate right now.  
He was at a loss for what to say.

Stiles finally looked at him.

And Scott was shocked to see a small, but honest smile resting on his lips.

 

* * *

 

_On our first day…_

_The letter said_

_“Don’t invite him”_

_Could it be…_

_That happened?_

_How could I still let the others invite him out with us?_

_I got the letter to make sure I erase all those regrets._

 

* * *

 

Stiles suddenly stood, and the birds spread their wings and flew into the trees.

“Shall we go?” He asked quietly, only shortly glancing back at him, before looking at the ground.

Scott still nodded and got up, too.  
“Yeah, sure,” he answered, still unsure of what to do.

They slowly started to walk again.

 

_Like this, I’ll just be repeating things all over again…_

_I have to fulfill that one promise…_

 

With that, he stopped and reached into his bag.

Stiles walked a few more steps until he realized that Scott didn’t follow anymore, but then he turned his head and raised a brow.

 

_… to help him!_

 

Determined, he took out the sandwich he made and showed it his friend with a soft smile.  
The transparent wrapping looked a bit rumpled, and the sandwich itself got a bit crushed by the books, but otherwise seemed still fine.

“I made your lunch, buddy!” He explained, but then laughed.

He must sound so _stupid_ right now…

“I wanted to give it to you earlier, but…”  
Scott shrugged and tried to play it off.  
“Well. Nevermind that. Just tell me what you like and prefer, so I can do it properly next time, and won’t have to improvise. ‘Kay?”  
He was rambling, but finally decided to shut his mouth again when he realized that Stiles was only staring at him with a stunned expression.

Stiles then finally reached for it; pale, slender fingers closing softly around it, as he took it out of Scott’s grip.

 

_I can still run._

_Disappear somewhere far, far away._

_Yes, perfect._

 

Stiles burst out laughing.  
He used his free hand to try and muffle the sounds, but it didn't do much.

Scott just stared; slowly lowered his now empty hand.

“Y’know, I kinda really wanted you to do it,” Stiles huffed, still chuckling as he now wiped at his eyes.  
“So, I was always wondering if you’d really do it. But now I’m glad you did!”

He was smiling brightly now, his eyes were sparkling as he spoke.  
“Thanks, Scotty.”

Scott felt his cheeks heat up. But he also just let out a small huff, before catching up to his friend and throwing an arm over his shoulders.

Stiles seemed surprised, but didn’t shrug him off as he kept smiling and they started walking again.

 

_For a second, he looked like he was about to cry..._

_But on the whole way home, he happily nibbled on the sandwich and smiled._

 

* * *

 

Before they departed, Scott stood in front of him and held up a finger to shush the other.

“I’ll bring another one again tomorrow,” he declared.  
To be honest, it was long ago decided already.  
“Tomorrow, and the day after. Everyday.”

Stiles opened his mouth, but Scott shook his head.

“And if you can’t get up in the morning, I’ll call you and wake you up!”

The pale boy blushed at that; was just staring at him for a second.  
But then he laughed and rubbed his neck.

“You’re such a mom!”

* * *

 

_His smiles and laughter never change._

_His smile remains;_

_Ten years from now,_

_Forever and_

_Ever._

* * *

 

Allison raised a hand to wave as soon as she saw the others, while Scott only smiled at them.  
Their daughter reached for the familar people with tiny grabby hands, laughing loudly.

All of them were there; Derek, Lydia, and Erika.

They greeted each other, before Scott softly went: “Sorry for making you bring the car, Derek.”

“Don’t worry, it’s fine.”  
Derek waved it off, pushing his black glasses even further up his nose.

“Eh?”  
Allison studied the mini-van with a smirk.  
“You don’t even have a family yet. How come you own this type of car?”

The man huffed.  
“Shut up. It’s my uncle’s.”

Meanwhile, Erica and Lydia were poking at the youngest person.

“She really looks just like you, Scott,” Lydia stated with a soft smile.

Erica snorted.  
“Good thing she doesn’t look like Allison!”

“Hey now-“

Scott tried to hold up his free hand as a sign of peace, but it didn’t help much.

Lydia now skeptically eyed the bouquet of flowers in Allison’s grasp.  
“Anyway, what’s up with those?”

“No way—“

“They’re for Stiles,” Allison cut Erica off without as much as a glance in her direction.

Scott’s gaze awkwardly skipped from one woman to the next and back.  
“Let’s be off?” He suggested, and the three all huffed simultaneously before almost jumping in the car.

Scott followed not as fast, mostly because his daughter now was prodding at his face.

 

* * *

 

_Since we graduated from high school,_

_The five of us met up again last month._

 

* * *

 

When they finally set off, everyone was back to talking.

“So, Ally, you know the way, right?”

“Yup!”

“We still have the GPS if we get lost.”

“Come on now! Hey, what did you guys even bring--?”

“It’s a secret!” All three of them answered in sync, including matching smirks.

“What’s up with y’all?! You're so mean!” Allison whined, pouting.

Scott quietly laughed and leaned his face against the window; he watched as everything passed by in a blur, too fast to really recognize anything.

 

* * *

 

_Today, we’re going to visit Stiles._

_With the feelings that never reached him,_

_And the promise I couldn’t fulfill…_

  

* * *

 

“Scott, dinner’s ready!” Melissa yelled up the stairs.

“Yeah, coming!” He answered, eyes still fixed on the piece of paper in his hand, which was beginning to crumple from how tight he was clenching it.

 

* * *

 

_“Ten years in the future,_

_Stiles isn’t here._

_I don’t want to lose_

_Something so precious._

_Please, watch over Stiles closely._

_Stiles_

_Died in an accident_

_The winter he was_

_17._

_And we made_

_A promise._

_Saving Stiles is_

_Our penance._

**_Save him._ **

**_Save Stiles.”_ **

 

* * *

 

**TBC**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning!: mentions of suicide (nothing explicit though)
> 
>  
> 
> Again, I'm so sorry for the delay! It's been two months. Oh my god. I really thought I could at least make it in one, but nah.  
> School was still a bitch, and Christmas was a whole mess, too.  
> But now it's past 3am and I finally managed to get my shit together and now present you this!  
> I hope you all had a nice Christmas, though, and got lots of gifts and love.
> 
> And thank y'all for the nice feedback on the last chapter! I was really happy to see all those reviews, and I'm glad you like it so far.  
> I only hope I won't disappoint you as I continue.  
> Also a thank you for all the subs, kudos, and bookmarks! I'm really happy!
> 
> But now I'm really motivated to continue, so I'll be doing just that. (Who needs sleep anyway, amirite guys?)  
> I hope I am done with the next chapter as soon as possible, to make up for the long wait on this one! Thanks for your patience!
> 
> I wish you all a wonderful start of 2016 and only the best.  
> (And a happy Teen Wolf 5b time!)


	3. Words (I'm So Sorry)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry,
> 
> Future-me.
> 
> I couldn’t
> 
> Erase
> 
> That one regret
> 
> You had.
> 
> I’m
> 
> Sorry.
> 
> I’m so sorry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I WANTED TO GET THIS UP AT THE END OF JANUARY UGH  
> i hate that i can't keep my promises :))
> 
> but oh well let's keep up some of the professionalism. 
> 
> Soo, here it is! Chapter 3.  
> I'll be talking about everything in the A/N at the end.
> 
> For this chapter, please stay on the Polish lines with your mouse, the English translation should appear.  
> I used google translator for this (but I actually have a Polish friend, so I'm sure that at least like two or three words of it are correct. Maybe I can get her to proof-read this one day, haha.) so please, don't be too mad if you understand/speak Polish and realize it's all bs.  
> But feel free to correct me if you know the real sentence. :3
> 
> See y'all in the end notes!

* * *

_  
After eight years…_

_After we graduated from high school…_

_The five of us met up again,_

_To dig up our time capsule._

_The six of us buried the time capsule when Stiles was still with us._

_We wrote letters to ourselves ten years in the future and buried them in a corner at the school._   
  


* * *

   
“Ah, they’re still here! Look, guys!”

“Here’s yours, Erica—“

“Thanks! Here’s yours.”

Scott stared at his letter, a melancholic smile on his lips.

_"To Scott McCall_

_To the 26 year old me, how are you?  
What have you achieved so far?_

_My dream is that by 25, I’m married to a wonderful person, I have at least one kid, and I work as a Vet._

_How did I do?”_

Scott huffed.  
He couldn’t remember what he wrote until now, and now it was all coming back.

Erica carefully glanced over his shoulder.  
She hummed quietly.  
“Well, everything sounds almost right on. Except for that ‘wonderful person’ part.”

“I am wonderful, and it’s a prediction,” Allison grumbled next to him.

“What did you write, sweetheart?” Scott asked her and pressed a kiss on her head.  
Allison smiled dreamily.

“I wrote: ‘To be a famous lacrosse star and married to an actor.’”

“Why not just write ‘married to Scott McCall’?” Erica snickered and Allison blushed, crumpling the letter between her hands.

“I couldn’t! It would have been embarrassing if I’d been found out!” She whined.

Scott just huffed and cleared his throat.  
“How about everybody else?”

“’Marry a rich guy and live happily ever after’,” Erica quoted and grinned, waving her letter through the air.

“’Win a Nobel Price or just become famous for inventing something’,” Lydia muttered, smiling slightly.

“Guess I wanted to be a doctor.”  
Derek frowned and held up his letter.

Everyone quietly laughed at that.

“Did… anyone’s dreams actually come true?” Allison asked, blushing once more, not meeting anyone’s eyes.

An awkward silence filled the space between them.

“… Guess we were fools.”

“Never mind that, let’s take a closer look at the time capsule!” Erica chirped and knelt down.

Everyone followed her example, and Scott held his daughter on one knee as she looked at the events unfolding before her very eyes with a bright stare.

“What else is in there?”

“A picture of all of us,” Allison took it and passed it to Erica who made grabby hands towards it, “… and Stiles’ letter.”

Again it was silent.

“… Think he’ll be mad if we read it?”

“Who will, if not us?” Erica argued.

“Let’s read it, and give it to him,” Lydia suggested and threw her long, strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder, green eyes blazing with fire.

“I want to know, too… What he wanted in the future,” Scott added, smiling sadly.

Allison nodded and carefully opened the letter.  
She cleared her throat, and started reading.

_“’To the people in the future…_

_Are you all well?’”_

  
Allison paused.

_“’To Allison;_

_You were so cute and strong, and even better at lacrosse! I admired you.’”_

“Hey! You’re making it up!” Erica protested, but Allison turned the letter so they all could see it and pouted.

“I’m not! It’s really written here.”

This time, stunned silence embraced them.

Because yes.

There it was.

Allison glared at Erica, before she eventually continued reading.

_“’I was really worried about adjusting to a new school…_

_So I was really relieved when you talked to me!_

_I knew I should have joined the lacrosse team. I’m sorry._

_But I also know you’ll make it big someday!’”_

Allison looked sad for a moment, but then took a deep breath and continued.

_“’To Erica;_

_My beautiful Catwoman. You were always so happy and bright; please never lose your light._

_Whenever I was depressed, all I had to do was think of you saying something funny, and I cheered up. And your parents’ curry bread was delicious!_

_  
To Derek;_

_You always looked so serious and grumpy, but you really liked to laugh._

_During breaks, you told me all about the ‘laughing rules’. Like, ‘not pushing what I said, but still pushing’.’”_

Lydia huffed.  
“That doesn't make any sense. What the heck were you teaching him?” She confronted Derek, who shrugged nonchalantly.

“He always asked.”

_“’I didn’t really get it—‘”_

“He didn’t get it?” Derek repeated incredulously and almost looked a bit disappointed.

_“’But it always made me laugh! Keep laughing, Sourwolf. You look way nicer when you do that._

_  
To Lydia;_

_My amazing, strawberry blonde queen._

_I hope you get to rule over the world someday, because you deserve it and everything beyond it._

_You were a little scary when you got angry…_

_But it was always for your friends._

_I thought that was pretty cool._

_Never stop kicking ass! You go, gurl!_

_  
To Scott;_

_My best friend._

_You were so modest and always thought of others before yourself._

_When everybody was happy, you looked happiest!_

_The cookies you made with Erica and Lydia in home eco…_

_Yours were the best._

_I’ve always waited to eat your home cooking, day after day!_

_I hope…_

_No, I know—_

_The future you…_

_Will still be close and laughing together with everyone._

_Never stop doing that, Scotty boy._

_-Stiles M. Stilinski’”_

Another silence fell upon them, as everyone stared expectantly at Allison.

“… And what else?” Erica urged, stepping closer.

“That’s all of it,” Allison answered quietly, slowly and sadly shaking her head.

“What about his prediction?” Erica’s eyes widened in fear, frantically raising her voice, fists trembling by her sides.

“It’s not here,” Allison mumbled, lowering the letter.

They all only stood there and stared as Erica tore the letter from the other woman’s hands.

“Why— What about… his dreams?” Her voice began to sound thick with emotion.  
“We said it would be about our own dreams! A letter that would be there for each of us in the future! Then why?! Why didn’t he write them—?!”

“How would I know?!” Allison replied frustrated, raising her voice, too, as she also began to realize something.

She slumped in on herself, standing hunched over.  
“Why… Why, Stiles?” She whispered.

The dripping sound of tears falling to the ground could be heard like a lightning striking.

Erica’s lower lip began to wobble. As soon as her own tears joined Allison’s, she began to wail like a siren.

Scott closed his eyes, as they began to sting.  
He didn’t need to see the other faces, to know that they were overflowing with tears, too.  


* * *

_  
_ _The winter of junior year, Stiles died in a car accident._

 _We cried and asked ‘Why?’ that day, too—_  
  


* * *

  
“Did… he know he wouldn’t have a future?” Derek wondered quietly, voice rough.  
“I won’t… no, I can’t believe that. Does that mean… he decided his fate for himself?”

Allison glared at him.  
“What the…”

Lydia slapped her hands over her mouth, green eyes glistening with yet unshed tears.  
“No…” She whispered, voice breaking.

Scott blinked as their daughter poked his cheek.  
Her wide, brown eyes were staring at him in confusion, and he carefully ran a hand through her hair.

His own identical eyes, but filled with uncertainty, looked up to meet those other pairs.

“It was an accident…” he mumbled, but his voice got carried away by the wind.  
Because the words were light, nothing he was convinced of anymore.  
He looked up into the sky as a breeze rustled his hair.

“Right… Stiles?”

Allison next to him openly started sobbing.  
She was rubbing at her eyes like a little child before reaching for her daughter, which Scott willingly handed over.  
His wife hugged their child close, whispering sweet nothings into her hair, while the girl poked her mother’s nose.

Erica desperately clung to Derek’s biceps, her gross sobbing was drenching his shirt, but he didn’t seem to mind for once.  
Instead he buried his own face into her shoulder while rubbing a big hand up and down her spine, trying to comfort the both of them at the same time.

Meanwhile, Lydia stepped closer and carefully took his hand into his.  
Scott gratefully squeezed back.

 _For now, it’d be enough,_ he thought, as the tears continued to blur his vision.

The heavy sounds of their despair was filling the air, making it oh so very hard to breathe.

Scott closed his eyes.  


* * *

  _  
Stiles will be_

_Saved…_

_If you_

_Watch him closely._

_Don’t let him be_

_By himself._

_Like that…_

_He probably won’t_

_Go to heaven.  
_

* * *

   
“So… His wishes for the future, and… and ours… they were different,” Derek explained slowly, rubbing a hand over his face.  
“And now, we aren’t even that close anymore, and… and we don’t smile as much together anymore.”

“If Stiles hadn’t died… We probably wouldn’t fight as much,” Erica added, voice sounding small, as she avoided all their eyes and stared at the ground, as if it could give her all the answers to the secrets of this world.

Allison took a deep breath.  
“Let’s go… and see Stiles,” she suggested slowly, blinking at every one of them.  
“Let’s go celebrate… c-celebrate the birthday which h-he couldn’t. Let’s… keep our p-promises!”

She smiled, and even though it was weak and trembling, it was honest.

“We will laugh… and get along. For… him.”  


* * *

_  
“ May 1st _

_\- After playing for a week, Stiles quits the lacrosse team._

_\- Make sure he rejoins the club._

_// Even if he’s unreasonable, I want him to join. I’m pretty sure that he himself actually wants to be a part of it.”  
_

* * *

   
“Good morning!”

Scott turned his head towards the door as Allison entered it with almost a shout, pulling a decently smiling (and somewhat irritated) Stiles along.

Their eyes met and the Polish boy nodded at him.

Scott smiled back.  
“’Morning to you, too.”

Stiles huffed and rolled his eyes at Allison, who pouted.  
For some reason she didn’t seem too upset about it, though.

 _I’ll make him join the lacrosse team today!_ Scott thought and studied the desk in front of him.  
But how can he convince Stiles?

Erica and Lydia came walking in just then, and Allison brightened up even more.  
The other girls barely had the time to sit down around them, when the dark haired teenager jumped out of her seat again and waved a hand around in the air excitedly.

“Hey, guys, listen—!”

“Not now, please. It’s too early for your bullshit, Argent,” sighed Erica.  
She kept her right elbow propped up on the table and leaned her chin into her hand.  
Lazily, she blinked at Derek as he sat down in his seat; her own way of greeting him.

Derek didn’t say anything.

“No, no, listen!” Allison repeated impatiently, and Scott looked up to see her patting Stiles roughly on the back.

The poor boy actually flinched and even spluttered for a second.  
After that he seemed pretty uncomfortable with all the attention he’s getting, so he began to shuffle his feet on the spot and chew on his lower lip nervously.

But he never avoided their eyes.

“Today, Stiles became a full member of the lacrosse team!”

…

Wait, what?

“Oh? Not a temporary player anymore?” Erica asked and leaned forward in her seat, suddenly looking very interested.

Lydia and Derek perked up at that, too.

Stiles actually took a step back, even though there was a whole desk between them.  
“I planned on doing it only for a week, but…”  
His smile turned cheerful all of a sudden, and he seemed to relax a bit.  
“Allison just kept bugging me, so I couldn’t say no.”

The blonde girl let out a deep sigh, leaning back again and rolling her eyes.  
“Oh, I get you, Batman. Annoying people are so awful.”

“… Batman?” Stiles echoed, eyebrows furrowing in amazement.

“You don’t like me, Erica, we all get it,” Allison huffed playfully, crossing her arms and glaring at her halfheartedly.

“Yeah, Batman,” she repeated with a grin, ignoring Allison completely.

“Oh, my God. Hope is not yet lost on the human race! Please tell me you read—“

Scott tuned out the heated discussion about which superhero was the best, and replayed the last few minutes in his head.

So…

What?

How?

Did the future

Change already?

And even if…

Is that a good thing?

Well…

All the things in the letter

Actually happened

So far…

And it doesn’t

Feel wrong

This time.

(But

It didn’t

That one time before,

Either.)

“Yo, Scott!”

“Hm?” He turned his head.

Stiles sat in his seat next to him, scraping at the desk with his fingernails, and wearing a nervous smile again.

It faltered and eventually disappeared way too soon.

“Starting tomorrow, I’ll have morning practice,” he explained, voice suddenly quiet.  
The other looked at the desk and the scraping stopped, as he glanced at Scott from out of the corner of his eyes.  
“… I’m counting on you to wake me up?”

It sounded more like a question than anything else, really.

But Scott remembered what he was referring to, so he put on a broad grin.

“Yeah, of course, buddy. Leave it to me!”

The tension seemed to leave Stiles’ shoulders at those words, and he almost slumped into his desk.

“Thank you,” he offered genuinely, amber eyes warm and open.

Scott blinked at him.

Finstock barged in, yelling at Greenberg.

He tuned it out.

_I’m sure that me, making him lunch…_

_And future-me sending me this letter…_

_Will make the future better._

_So…_

_Is Stiles in our future now?_

_But—_

_What about the letters?_

_Does having the letters mean_

_That I’m not done yet?_

_Ahh, now I’m confused…_

_I’ll just think about it later…_

_But_

_I can still change the future._

_I can still make some of my future regrets_

_Disappear._  


* * *

  
“Scott!”

A notebook hit him right in the face, and Scott yelped, stumbling to a halt.

Stiles stood in front of him, smiling slightly, notebook still held high.

“Ya thinkin’ ‘bout somethin’?”

Scott hesitated.  
“Uhm… yeah…”  
Something’s… off?  
“What… What about you? Are you alright?” He shot back.  
Yeah. Right.  
The other boy’s accent was clearer than ever.

Stiles blinked, smile faltering for a second, and lowering the hand holding his notebook until it rested by his side.  
Then he huffed, running a hair through his dark hair, making it stand up in every possible direction.

“Yeah, ‘course. Peachy. Never been better.”  
Those amber eyes were staring him down, wearing a look Scott couldn’t quite point out.  
“Just – don’t forget to look forward, aight? Or else, you’ll bump into somethin’.”

A knowing smile spread across his face, and then he marched ahead of Scott, leaving him there.

Scott was confused.

What the hell was that just now?

“Ah!”

Stiles barely turned around, when he came to a stop again, staring down at the girl he nearly bumped into with wide eyes.  
He anxiously stumbled back a step or two.

The girl in front of him reached to a bit above his shoulders and had short, brown hair.

She didn’t comment on that, but instead raised a hand to give a small wave, and smiled widely at Stiles.

“Hey!”

Stiles just nodded after a moment of overwhelmed staring, and she happily strode past them without sparing Scott even as much as a glance.

The transfer student turned back to Scott, now looking confused.  
“Scott, do you know her?”

“Uhm…” Scott replied unhelpfully and Stiles frowned.

“She’s always there, watching practice and stuff.”

Now it was Scott’s turn to frown.  
“What, really?”

Stiles nodded but the other just shrugged.

“Well, she’s sort of well-known here, because she’s kinda pretty, I guess. Her name’s Malia, she’s the same year as us.”

“Ah, I… I see.”

They continued to walk together, but Scott couldn’t really concentrate on anything.

_Is she…_

_Interested in Stiles…?_

_What should I do…?_

_Maybe…_

_He…  
_

* * *

_  
“May 2 nd _

_\- Before the holidays, we have another half-day._

_\- During break time, Malia confesses to Stiles._

  
\- They start going out after that.”  


* * *

  
Scott sat on his bed, staring blankly at today’s letter in his hands, taking in the crumpled edges.

If this was true…

Well, what should he do?

What _could_ he do?

This wasn’t something he could just decide for Stiles.

But…

What if this was another factor for the outcome of the future they all dreaded?

Because, why else would the letter mention this?

Just to warn him?

Yeah, right.

So, if Stiles and Malia get together, Stiles will die?

But the letter doesn’t tell him to stop it from happening…

Scott sighed in frustration and put the letter aside, reaching for his phone.

Dialing the number, he still continued to stare at it.

It took way too long for the other person to respond.

“Stiles! Get up, you’re going to be late for practice!”  
He raised his voice slightly, urging the other to wake.

“Leave me alone…” was the mumbled answer, and Scott didn’t know if he should smile or worry.

“C’mon, Stiles! I told you I’d call, and here I am, but I can’t shove you out of bed through the phone, man—“

“I don’t want to get up yet. Fuck off, Scott.”

Scott froze.  
“Stiles, are you okay?” He asked slowly, frowning hesitantly.

It was quiet for a few agonizing seconds.

Then—

The rustling of bed sheets, the sound of a bed giving in to somebody’s weight.

Stiles groaning slightly, while he probably pushed himself out of bed.

Another silence stretched across the line.

Finally—

“… Yeah. I’m sorry, Scott. I didn’t mean it. Good morning, and thanks for calling.”  
He spoke quietly, voice barely audible, as if not to wake someone.

Scott wanted to respond, but as if on cue another voice chimed in on the other end.  
The stranger’s voice sounded distant; it probably came from another room.

But it was loud, so Scott could make out all of the words.

… Or, well, what he was guessing were words.

[ _“_ _Mieczysław! Wyjść z łóżka, masz zamiar się spóźnić do szkoły!”_ ](Mieczyslaw!%20Get%20out%20of%20bed,%20you're%20going%20to%20be%20late%20for%20school!)

When Stiles actually yelled back, Scott held the phone on arm’s length away from him, furrowing his eyebrows.

[“Tak, tak! Wstałam, nie martw, tata. Stres nie jest dobre dla zdrowia. Nie powinieneś być w pracy?“](%22Yeah,%20yeah!%20I'm%20up,%20don't%20worry,%20dad.%20Stress%20isn't%20good%20for%20your%20health.%20Shouldn't%20you%20be%20at%20work?%22)

The sound of a door being opened could be heard, and the other voice sounded clearer now.  
(It also sounded a bit surprised, and old, but warm; also tired — tired, oh so tired.)

[“Dobrze, że jest nowy. Nigdy nie przestanie podkreślając i martwienia się o ciebie, choć. Poza tym, mamy skomplikowaną sprawę wczoraj, więc wysłali mnie do domu na chwilę, aby dostać się na krótki odpoczynek i sprawdzić na ciebie.” ](%22Well,%20that%20one's%20new.%20I'll%20never%20stop%20stressing%20and%20worrying%20about%20you,%20though.%20Besides,%20we%20got%20a%20complitcated%20case%20yesterday,%20so%20they%20sent%20me%20home%20for%20a%20while%20to%20get%20a%20short%20break%20and%20check%20on%20you.%22)  
Stiles huffed at that, but after that it was silent for a second.  
Then, again, the same other voice—  
[_“Wszystko w porządku, syn?_ _Wyglądasz blado—“_](%22Are%20you%20alright,%20son?%20You%20look%20a%20bit%20pale--%22)

He could hear footsteps slowly approaching, coming closer—

And then Stiles was apparently jumping out of the bed.

[“Nie, nie, czuję się dobrze, tata.“](%22No,%20no,%20I'm%20fine,%20dad.%22)

[„…Jesteś już w telefonie? Z kim?“](%22...%20You're%20on%20the%20phone%20already?%20With%20whom?%22)

[„Przyjaciel. Proszę, tata. Nie masz gdzieś być?“](%22A%20friend.%20Please,%20dad.%20Don't%20you%20have%20somewhere%20to%20be?%22)

[„Racja, racja.“](%22Right,%20right.%22)  
Shuffling.  
[„Miłego dnia, dzieciaku. Rekwizyty do znajomych.“](%22Have%20a%20nice%20day,%20kid.%20Props%20to%20your%20friends.%22)

[„Dzięki tato. Również miłego dnia. Bądź bezpieczny.“](%22Thanks,%20dad.%20Have%20a%20nice%20day,%20too.%20Stay%20safe.%22)

Finally, the voice disappeared along with the footsteps, and Stiles sighed as he let himself plop down on the bed again.  
“Sorry ‘bout that. Again, thanks for calling. We should probably both hurry now, so… See ya later.”

The line went dead.  
  


* * *

  
_The future_

_Can be_

_Changed._

_Well,_

_That should be_

_Easy.  
_

* * *

  
“Hey! Let me help you with that.”

One of the boxes filled with lacrosse equipment suddenly were lifted out of his arms, and with that also out of sight.

Stiles stood in front of him, carrying it with a thin smile.

Scott smiled back, and together they walked towards the field.

“Hey, Scott, I’m sorry,” Stiles suddenly spoke up after a weird silence, voice quiet and unsure.

The dark haired teenager just frowned and glanced at him from out of the corner of his eyes, shifting his own box in his hands.

“About, y’know. This morning. Didn’t mean to talk to you like that.”  
He shrugged helplessly, suddenly not meeting his eyes anymore.  
“Again, thanks for calling and getting me out of bed. Really. I appreciate it.”  
And the smile was back.

Scott shrugged it off.  
“It’s fine, I didn’t take it personally or anything. People can be grumpy in the mornings, so don’t apologize, man.”

Stiles huffed.  
“Yeah, right. Thanks, though.”

The other boy hummed.  
“Who was that other person, though?”

Stiles’ eyebrows disappeared behind a few strands of dark hair.  
“Ah, that? My dad. Sorry about that, too. He usually is never home because he’s always at work. And… Yeah. That.”

Scott glanced at him, but Stiles avoided his eyes.

The silence that followed was uncomfortable.

_Will they…_

_Actually go out_

_Together?_

_If he really wants it_

_Then it’s not_

_My place to_

_Interfere._

_But…_

_I’m worried.  
_

* * *

   
It wasn’t until they put down the boxes in front of the bleachers, when Stiles spoke up again.

Stiles stood in front of him, hands hanging loosely by his sides.

“Ah, hey. Scott.”

Scott stared at his slim back.

“Is there… Anybody you’re interested in?”

Scott froze.

When he didn’t answer right away, Stiles eventually turned to face him, wearing a teasing smirk.  
“Is there?”

The other boy could feel the heat spreading across his cheeks.  
“N-No!” He almost yelled out, voice an octave higher than usual.

Stiles kept his smile frozen in place.

Scott saw his hands curling into fists.

“Hmm. I see.”  
The transfer student slowly walked past him.

_Ah…_

_No,_

_Wait…_

_That’s…_

_Not true._

_But I can’t…_

“What about you?” Scott finally manages to blurt out, always keeping his eyes on Stiles.  
“Is there… Somebody you like?”

Stiles slowed down.

“Ah… nope.”

Scott took a deep breath.  
“How about Malia?”

The Polish boy finally stood still.  
“… Well, she’s pretty.”

_That’s not really an answer…_

_But…_

_Is she only that to him?  
_

* * *

  
“Allison, go buy some drinks.”

“Buy it yourself, Erica.”

“It’ll only take you a couple steps to get it!”

“But I’m not—“

“I want some, too,” Lydia chimed in, picking at her fingernails.

“Me too,” Stiles agreed without looking up from his phone.

Derek raised a hand and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Allison frowned and yelled: “Rock, paper, scissors!”

…

Well.

“Alright then, Batman. Get going.”

“Ugh, damn it,” Stiles cursed under his breath, judgingly glaring at his fingers.

“I want cola.”

“Water, please.”

“Y’know, that one coffee I always get, with marshmallows in it—“

“I can’t remember all this!” Stiles interrupted them and threw his hands in the air.  
His face was blank as he sat down to write all the orders down.

“… What about you, Scott?”

Scott flinched when Stiles suddenly called his name.  
“Oh, uhm…”

Stiles looked up, and Scott noticed how tired he suddenly appeared.

“I’m fine.”

The transfer student frowned, and Scott wanted to run away.  
“Really? You’re not thirsty after gym?”

Scott gulped and Stiles sighed.  
“What do you want, Scott?”

“Anything is fine…” He mumbled eventually.

Stiles disapprovingly stared at him, resting his chin in his hand, elbow up against the desk.  
“Are you sure? Even soup with beans in it? That awful coffee Allison wants?”

“Hey now—“ The dark haired girl pouted, but Scott didn’t dare avoid the other’s gaze.

Has Stiles ever looked at him for this long, this intensely?

But suddenly, he smiled.  
“Just ‘anything’ is not okay, Scotty boy.”

Scott stared back, mouth falling open.

Their conversation at the day of the game on the field crossed his mind.

Finally, he averted his eyes.  
“A cola would be nice…” He sighed finally.

Stiles’ face lit up, as he scrambled it down and jumped out of his seat, arms flailing as he ran out the door of the classroom.

Scott smiled.

This was okay.  
  


* * *

  
“Ah, there he is!” Allison shouted and pointed at a point below them.

Erica leaned out of the window.  
“Are you okay with carrying all that?” She yelled.

“Sorry, I dropped the coffee!” Stiles answered loudly.

When he heard Allison swearing, he grinned up at them.

Scott’s smile was stuck to his face as he watched Stiles stumbling and fumbling with the drinks in his arms, trying to make his way towards the school entrance without dropping everything.

Until suddenly—

“Ah, he got caught by someone…” Allison frowned.

“Hey, isn’t that—?” Derek spoke up, leaning down next to Scott and shoving his glasses up his nose.

But all Scott could focus on was Malia, who was now standing opposite their friend, talking quietly to him.

His smile fell as he saw Stiles cocking his head as he listened.

“Malia?”

“What could she want with him?”

“Did she confess to him or what?”

Below them, Malia suddenly ran off, but they only saw her back disappearing into the opposite direction.

The others all went to meet Stiles at the door to the classroom.

“Yo, Stiles—“

“You’re back!”

“Man, you’re slow.”

“Yeah, yeah, sorry,” Stiles answered, walking past them to his desk, barely looking at them.

“But hey, what was that?” Erica asked, tilting her head as she grabbed her cola from him.  
“A confession?”

Stiles only glanced at her.  
“Oh, yeah.”

“Seriously?!”  
The blonde girl’s eyes widened.  
“And? What did you say?”

“I told her I’d let her know during the next break time,” Stiles replied, handing Lydia her water.

“Wow, is my Batman finally getting laid?” Erica asked grinning, cupping her cheek with a hand.

“Money, Catwoman.”

“Yeah, yeah, right. Gosh.”

Stiles finally sat down, handing Scott his can of cola.  
“Here, your drink.”

Scott carefully took it.  
“Ah, thanks. Here, let me get my wallet…” He mumbled the last part of the sentence, reaching down to his pockets.

“Don’t worry about it,” Stiles argued, raising a hand and smiling at him.  
“You’re always making me lunch and call me in the morning, so… It’s on me.”  
He nervously rubbed at the back of his neck with his hand.

Scott cautiously smiled back.

The bell rang.  
  


* * *

  
_“4 th period—_

_I lent Stiles my pencil and eraser, since he forgot his pen case._

_  
**//After class—**_

**_When Stiles gives them back, look in the eraser wrapper._ **

**_Be honest._ ** _”  
_  

* * *

   
“Ah, shoot,” Stiles mumbled when he sat down next to Scott, one hand running through his hair.  
“I forgot my pen case when we changed rooms…”

Scott almost pushed the pen and eraser in the pale boy’s face.  
“Here, use mine!”

“What, really? But you—“ He argued weakly, frowning slightly and leaning back a bit.

“It’s alright, I’ve got two,” Scott smiled reassuringly and Stiles now softly smiled back, muttering a thanks as he took the tools.

“You’re amazing, Scott. It’s almost like you’re psychic!”

Scott stiffened.

“Ah, hah, yeah, well…”

Finstock began to shout at Greenberg and Scott tuned his surroundings out.

_I know that_

_I don’t want Stiles to_

_Go out with Malia._

_But…_

_Isn’t it mean_

_And selfish_

_To tell him not to?_

_Ugh…_

_What should I_

_Do?  
_

* * *

  
Stiles hands him the tools, but didn’t meet his eyes.  
“Thanks again.”  
He turned to leave.

“Let’s go grab something to eat, Stiles!” Scott blurted out, watching Stiles stop in his tracks.

He didn’t turn back around, though.

“I have practice today. Allison asked me to help her out with something, so I’ll head there early. Sorry.”

“Ah, no, it’s fine…” Scott frowned, clutching the eraser in his hands.

“Scott.”

The boy turned around and came face to face with Lydia.

Her stare was thoughtful.

“We’re on cleaning duty today.”

“Ah, right…”

Scott could swear he just felt eyes glare holes into his back.

But when he turned around,

Stiles already left.  
  


* * *

   
When Scott finally leaned against the lockers in the hallways, most students were already gone.

With a weird feeling settling in in the depths of his stomach, he grabbed the eraser out of the pocket of his jeans.  
  


* * *

_  
“- In the eraser that Stiles borrowed…  There’s a message in it._

_I didn’t notice it that day._

_But..._

_If you see it… It’ll probably change the future.”  
_

* * *

  
Scott inspected the wrapper closely, and really – between it and the eraser he found a piece of paper.

He carefully pulled it out and unfolded it –

And frowned.

It’s… The drink list from earlier?

The one Stiles wrote down.

He turned it around.

Scott froze.

In big, wide letters stood—

_'You think it’s okay for me to go out with Malia?’_

He snapped his head around to look at a clock.

Stiles should still be here.

But what should he do?

What could he say?

Determined, Scott grabbed the pen and scribbled down an answer.

He didn’t think much more after that;

Pressing the piece of paper to his chest, he ran.

Scott ran down the hallway, panting heavily as he turned corner after corner, and almost fell face first down the stairs.

But finally, he reached Stiles’ locker.

His chest was heaving with heavy breaths, cheeks burning.

He took the paper and shoved it through a crack into the locker.

As if in a daze, he stared at it.

_It’s alright._

_I can_

_Change_

_The future.  
_

* * *

  
When he returned to their classroom, all his friends except Allison and Stiles were glued to the windows.

“Ah, Scott! Right in time, come here!”  
Erica waved him closer.

He carefully stood between Derek and Lydia.

They both glanced at him.

“Stiles has been talking to Malia for a while,” Lydia offered cautiously, watching him closely.  
“He said he wanted to talk to her now.”

Scott looked down.

Just then, Malia turned around, facing them – she was smiling happily, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear while she ran into the school.

“She looks pretty happy,” stated Derek uselessly, frowning irritated.

“Stiles! What’d you say?!” Yelled Erica, and Lydia leant out of the window next to her.

The transfer student just stared at them for a few seconds.

But then he grinned widely from ear to ear, punching a fist in the air.

Erica squealed loudly.  
“Congrats, Batman!” She shouted down, and Lydia next to her smirked.

Derek kept frowning and didn’t say anything.

Scott ran.

“Scott?!”

“Sorry, I forgot about something!” He called over his shoulder as he grabbed his bag and fled out of the classroom.  
“I’m heading home now!”

“Scott, wait—!”

He escaped out and down the stairs, almost lost his balance on the last few steps.  
Scott slipped and let out a yelp, just barely catching himself.

When he found himself on steady feet again, he just stood there.  
Panting heavily, fingers clenching the strap of his bag.

“Hey… Scott?”

Scott flinched.

“You okay?” Added Allison, and Scott could hear her slowly inching closer.

“I’m fine, sorry. Don’t worry,” he whispered, angrily wiping at his eyes.

Suddenly, there was a hand on his back, just resting against it.

“You…”  
The girl hesitated.

“You like Stiles, right?”

Scott slowly turned his head.

Allison met his gaze with big, knowing eyes.  
Her mouth opened a little when he looked at her, but she didn’t say anything.

Instead, Scott broke free from her touch, stumbling down the hallway.

He could feel Allison’s eyes stare into his back, yet he didn’t turn around once.

Scott clenched his teeth and raised his hand to rub at his eyes again.

_I’m sorry,_

_Future-me._

_I couldn’t_

_Erase_

_That one regret_

_You had._

_I’m_

_Sorry._

_I’m so sorry._  
  


* * *

  
Stiles stared at the little piece of paper in his hands.

His mind was racing as he tried to process that one little word.

Two letters, just two capital letters.

And yet he felt somehow empty as he stared at the strange but familiar handwriting.

 

 

**_N O._ **

****

****

**TBC**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No trigger warnings this chapter, I guess.
> 
> Soo.
> 
> I don't ship Stalia.  
> Actually, I don't like it. At all.  
> I don't like Malia.  
> Which will probably be noticeable in the future chapters when Malia appears more often.  
> But I need it to keep the plot going. Ugh.  
> If you ship it, I won't stop you, though.  
> Everyone should feel free to ship who and whatever they want.  
> I just wanted to make some things clear. :)
> 
> Buut.  
> Yeah.  
> I don't really have an excuse for this long wait.
> 
> Exceeept maybe I was at a concert of my favorite band, Twenty One Pilots! This band means so much to me.  
> I actually travelled to Vienna to see them live. (I live in Switzerland, haha. But no band ever comes to fucking Switzerland. Ugh.)  
> And I realized there, that so many songs of them remind me of this fic.  
> Like, almost all of their songs.  
> They either fit Stiles, or somebody else, or just the whole fic.  
> So, if you ever need beautiful music to listen to, to feel this fic - listen to Twenty One Pilots.  
> All their songs are beautiful, dark, sad and deep and so much more.  
> I'll listen to their songs as I keep writing, and see how that turns out.
> 
> The HTML stuff might be a bit off yet, because I don't have too much time to try and fix it right now.  
> But I'll definitely do it tomorrow after school!
> 
> Thanks for reading! Also, big thank you to all the subscribers! You who gave this fic kudos and comments and bookmarks - you all make my day each time I log in here on AO3. Thank you.  
> I hope I won't disappoint you. c:


	4. Confessions (We'll Fix It)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The me ten years from now,
> 
> Has regretted this the whole time.
> 
> He had so much he wanted to tell Stiles…
> 
> And even though he’s not there,
> 
> He is here now.
> 
> Even if it’s not clear right now…
> 
> We’ll fix it ‘til it is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M STILL ALIVE 'N KICKIN'.  
> somehow.  
> idk.  
> as always, sorry for the delay ahahah  
> i really plan on getting the chapters up asap, but i suck.  
> but hey, usually i abandoned my fics by this point, but i'm still at this one!  
> consider it a win!  
> (don't worry, i won't abandon this story, and i also don't want to make you guys wait too long for the chapters. i hope the chapter lengths make up for the wait, at least!)
> 
> not too much happening in this one.
> 
> WARNINGS: nobody likes Malia. i'm sorry. y'all can hate me, i don't care haha.
> 
> i've got a question for you guys in the end notes, maybe read it and answer me in a comment or a message? c:

After his mother passed away, Stiles lived alone with his father here in Beacon Hills.

_We’ve only been to visit twice._  
  


* * *

   
“It’s so nice to see you guys again.”

John Stilinski tiredly smiled back at them, opening the door for them to enter.

Allison was the first to greet the Sheriff, holding his rough but warm hand with the both of her own.

After that, the one the old man decided to turn to, was Scott.  
He waved him closer and embraced him gently.

Scott took a deep breath and closed his eyes;  
It reminded him so much of _Stiles_ and _home_ , his chest hurt.

_The last time we came was for Stiles’ funeral._

He desperately raised his hands and clung to the Sheriff’s jacket.

_I’m sorry._

They didn’t say anything.  
  


* * *

  
“Ahh, she’s so lovely,” John stated with a soft smile.

The little girl was tightly holding the man’s index finger and grinning up at them, squealing quietly every now and them.

“Yours?” He asked, looking at Scott with an expression that made him a bit uncomfortable.

“Uhm, yeah,” Scott answered slowly.  
He tried to avoid the other’s eyes.  
“We…”

“We got married.”  
Allison next to him never broke eye contact with John.

The Sheriff stared back for a few seconds longer, before huffing slightly and smiling again.  
“I guessed it. Scott and Allison McCall, now, is it, then?”

Scott’s eyes widened, and Allison looked just as surprised.  
“Ah, you remember?” The young man asked.

Now John laughed a little.  
“Oh, yes. You haven’t changed at all.”  
His expression turned wistful.  
“Also, I heard a lot about you two from Stiles.”  
Those strange blue eyes suddenly caught Scott in their cage.

“Especially about you, Scott.”

He could feel the eyes of the others on him, too.

But he just averted his own and let out a little huff.

_To the past-Stiles…_

_I am so sorry_

_That I didn’t help you._

_I wanted to talk more._

_There were things_

_That I wanted to tell you._

_And things_

_I wanted to hear from you._

_I really regret_

_Not having the courage_

_To talk to you about it._

_That day—_

_When you called my name…_

_What did you want to tell me?_

He could feel Stiles’ eyes on his back as he fled, the other’s voice still echoing in his head.

_Even now_

_Ten years later…_

_I’ve thought about it._  
  


* * *

_  
May 5th _

_“I went to the mall with Erica, Lydia, Allison and Derek._

_The girls somehow managed for everyone to go home with flower patterned shorts._

_Lord save us!_

_Stiles had a date with Malia, so he couldn’t come._

_We have a special week at school, starting this Monday… so we’ll probably meet sooner or later._

_I don’t know what to do when I see him._

_The note he hid in my eraser…_

_And the answer I gave him…_

_What happened to that?”_  
  


* * *

  
“Morning.”

Scott looked up, but Stiles just closed his locker.

“… Morning,” he answered carefully.

The transfer student’s hand rested against the cold metal.

But he still didn’t look at Scott.

Scott grabbed his own books.

“You… didn’t call this morning.”

His movements slowed down.

“Ah, yeah…” He mumbled quietly, the air around them becoming colder.

“I overslept a little,” Stiles continued.  
His voice was soft, but distant.  
Not judging, or mad.

At all.

“I’m sorry,” Scott tried, clutching the books to his chest with one hand.

Stiles’ hand on his locker turned into a loose fist.

“It’s fine. Did you… forget?”

Scott flinched.

“No, I…”  
_Of course not, how could I?_  
“I mean… You have a girlfriend now. I just thought… Also, I didn’t bring lunch today. Malia would probably get mad, or something…”  
Scott stumbled over his words, trying to sound casual and reasonable.

As soon as he said it, he realized it sounded stupid.

“… I see.”

Stiles took a step back and finally met his eyes.

He almost left, but decided to turn back.  
His body seemed stiff and he held the strap of his bag clutched tightly between his fingers.

“Thanks for doing it up ‘til now,” he said, smiling.

It didn’t reach his eyes, though.

“I really liked that you went out of your way to make lunch for me. But…”

He finally turned away.

“Sorry I made you do it.”

“Stiles, wait…” Scott called softly, slamming his locker shut and raising his free hand.

The other didn’t look back.

He lowered his hand again, frowning slightly.

_That’s…_

_Not it._

_I liked_

_Helping him out._

_It gave me a chance_

_To talk to him._

_When I told him_

_“I made lunch”_

_He always seemed so happy._

_It made me feel happy, too._

_I didn’t…_

_Go_

_Out of my way_

_At all._

_I have to tell him that._

Scott raised his voice this time.

“Stiles!”

The pale boy stopped dead in his tracks.

Slowly, he turned his head.

His face was blank.

“What is it?”

Scott just stood there frozen for a second, before functioning again.

He opened his mouth, ready to tell him—

“Stiles!”

Malia brushed past him, ramming his shoulder with hers, and jumping at her boyfriend.

She grabbed his arm with both of her hands and sweetly smiled up at him.  
“Good morning!”

Scott pressed his lips together.

Malia then turned her head to stare at Scott.

Her smile turned just a tad too sweet, and her eyes were daring him to talk any more.

Stiles didn’t seem too impressed though

And ~~didn’t see how she glared at Scott~~  still looked at Scott.

“Scott, what is it?” He repeated, voice monotone.

Said boy considered his options for a second, before glancing to the side.

“… Nevermind. Nothing. It’s nothing.”

Stiles’ eyes seemed guarded for a second, and he opened his mouth again—

“Let’s go, Stiles. Class is starting soon.”

Malia grabbed his hand and pulled the Polish boy along with her, smile never faltering.

Scott followed their backs with his eyes, until they disappeared in the faceless crowd of students.

He slowly locked his locker.  
  


* * *

  
“Is he in your class?” Malia asked, staring up at him with big, brown eyes.

“Ah, yeah,” he answered, only giving her a glance.

She giggled and swung their hands back and forth, looking at them.

“Man, talk about a country pumpkin!” She laughed.

Stiles flinched at the rude comment.

Malia didn’t seem to notice how his grip loosened around her hand.

“You gotten used to living here yet?” The girl questioned, humming quietly.

“… I guess. It’s kinda fun,” he replied carefully, now observing her face.

She frowned.

“Really?”

She then seemed to think for a while, before continuing to talk.

“It’s been a while since I moved here from the city. New York, y’know. Big place and all. But… I’m still not used to it.”  
Malia sighed.

The walls around them seemed to be closing in on him.

Stiles blinked.

“I can’t meet up and talk to my old friends. When I was there, I could just go right out and get what I wanted. There’s absolutely nothing here. Except for trees. Really special.”  
She huffed and Stiles shuddered.

It was cold, and he regretted only putting on a plaid shirt over his Captain America shirt this morning.

But Malia seemed fine with her shirt—

“Without a car, you can’t go anywhere. It’s so inconvenient! Right?” She asked, and finally looked back up at him.

He could feel dozens of eyes staring at him as soon as their eyes met, as if the whole school just stopped to look at him.

Malia’s eyes were daring him to disagree.

Her smile was still plastered on her face.

It was pretty, and he could breathe again.

“… I guess,” he finally agreed.

The eyes around him turned away, minding their own business again.

He walked past his classroom to get Malia to hers.

Stiles didn’t notice Lydia standing in the door to their class, observing them with blazing eyes.  
  


* * *

  
“Where’s Stiles?” Erica asked, curling her wild locks around a finger.  
She seemed annoyed.

“Malia came and got him already,” Derek mumbled around a mouthful of bread, not looking up from the book he’s reading.

Erica’s expression turned disgusted.

“He’s with her again?”

“She comes every break,” Lydia added, glancing up from her notebook.

They risked a look at Scott who was slowly tapping away on his phone, apparently not even listening to their conversation.

Erica crossed her arms and pouted.

“I don’t like her,” the strawberry blonde girl stated, throwing her long hair over her shoulder.

“Me neither,” Erica agreed, frowning.  
“Well. It’s only been a month since he moved here, right?”

Lydia nodded and tapped her pen against her chin.  
“It seems she’s from another city, too. Maybe she makes him feel comfortable, since they have more or less something in common.”

“But why did that idiot start dating her?” Erica hissed.

“We should have stopped him,” Lydia murmured.

“You weren’t like this when they first got together,” Derek sighed and glanced at them.

Allison quietly watched.

Scott lowered his phone onto his desk.

_When I think about Stiles and Malia…_

_Together…_

_My heart hurts._

_Why_

_Didn’t I look at the eraser sooner?_

_Why_

_Didn’t I just tell him ‘no’ myself?_

_Why…_

_I guess_

_Living without regrets_

_Is hard._

_I know what will happen_

_And I still choose myself._

_I’m so selfish…_  
  


* * *

  
They stood at Stiles’ locker.

Malia was showing Stiles something on her phone, talking loudly.

Stiles stood with his back against his locker, shoulders hunched and face blank.

But he was cocking his head slightly and listening to her, glancing at her phone as she explained.

Lydia and Erica shared a look.

“Scott, you okay?” Lydia asked, catching up a few steps and walking beside her friend.

“Huh, yeah? Why?” He replied, looking a bit confused.

“Hey, did you bring the shorts?” Erica interrupted, appearing on his other side and wiggling her eyebrows.

“Uhm…” Scott mumbled helplessly, cheeks heating up.

But then he huffed out a laugh.

“No, why would I?”

Scott didn’t see Stiles looking up and staring at them.  
  


* * *

  
_May 17 th_

_“- After Stiles and Malia started dating, Stiles and I stopped talking to each other._

_-Today it began. During lunch, even though Stiles called my name… When Malia saw us, I ran away._

_\- After that, I constantly avoided him._

**_// I want you to stay when he calls you._ **

**_Don’t just wait. Tell him what you really think. You should have a lot to say to him._** _”_  
  


* * *

  _  
Tell him what I really think…_

_But_

_He’s always_

_With her._

Scott sighed quietly.

_If he isn’t alone…_

Malia glared at him from across the hallway, her brows furrowed, lips pouting.

Scott gulped and turned away.

_I can’t talk to him._  
  


* * *

  
He was making his way down the stairs towards the parking lot, when he saw him.

On the last few steps he sat, cross-legged, bag slung over his right shoulder, while quietly tapping away on his phone.

Scott slowed down, carefully glancing around…

But he was really alone this time.

As if Stiles noticed his presence, he suddenly looked up and stared straight at Scott.

Scott opened his mouth to speak up, to at least say ‘hello’, but he couldn’t.

The Polish boy beat him to it, though, and stumbled to his feet, turning around to face Scott.

“Scott!” He almost yelled.

Multiple students were glancing at them, whispering.

Stiles was almost frantic by now.  
“I want to- I need to talk to you, Scott.”

His voice grew quieter, but he carefully climbed up a few steps, inching closer to Scott.

_‘I want you to answer…’_

Stiles stared at him, lips still parted, pale cheeks blushing.

Scott froze.

Malia was standing at the end of the stairs with her clique, staring at him with a blank face.

_‘… if he calls you.’_

He ran.

He turned around, back to the school.

He saw how Stiles’ face fell as he turned.

But he didn’t stop.

  
_What if_

_He doesn’t turn around, when I call him?_

_What if_

_He doesn’t listen to me?_

_What if_

_He says there’s something wrong?_

_… I’m so worried._

_I’m sorry._  
  


* * *

  
_ May 21st _

_"- After class, Stiles said ‘bye’ to me, and he and Malia got into a fight._

_\- But afterwards, I went home without doing anything about it._

_\- I know that at that point, Stiles was worried about it.”_  
  


* * *

  
“Bye.”

Scott looked up.

There was a soft breeze as Stiles slowly walked past him, shoulders tense, head bent.  
  


_'I wish I had noticed he was worried_

_And actually talked to him._

_All I could do,_

_Was think about myself._

_… I think Stiles regretted it.'_  
  


His hand curled into a fist.

Scott took a deep breath.

“Stiles, wait—“

“Stiles!”

Someone crashed into his shoulder from behind him, and he stumbled into the lockers with a loud bang because he didn't see it coming.

As he leaned against the cold metal, he could see Stiles turning around in shock.

“What the hell, Malia?! What are you doing?!” He raised his voice immediately, stepping closer to her.

Malia huffed and crossed her arms, frowning deeply.

“Why are you so upset? I barely touched him! Besides, it’s his fault for letting himself being pushed around by girls!” She exclaimed, tapping her foot in an annoyed motion.

Stiles’ face turned a few shades paler.  
“At least apologize!” He hissed.

Malia gaped at him.

But then her cheeks heated up.

“This is your fault! You always talk about him, as if he’s the sun to your moon or something! As if he's such a _special, unique_ friend! You’re _my boyfriend_ , you should talk like that about me! Not… him!”  
If looks could kill, Scott would have died at least five times in the last two minutes already.

Stiles just closed his eyes, before he made his way over to Scott, offering him a trembling hand.

“You alright?” He asked carefully, his eyes flickering around nervously.

Scott didn’t take it.

Instead, he eyed Stiles for a second, before glancing past him at his girlfriend.

Malia bit down on her lower lip and then ran off, leaving behind a bunch of wide eyed and whispering students.

Scott could see Allison among them, hands hovering above her chest, lips opened silently and eyes glistening, but he turned his attention back to Stiles.

His hand was still there, and Stiles actually looked at him by now.  
But he was still very pale and now chewing on his lips, his other hand fiddling with the strap of his bag again, clutching it tightly before scratching and picking at it. Repeating it.

Scott straightened his back and avoided the other’s amber eyes.

“I’m fine,” he mumbled.

Stiles flinched, slowly lowering his hand.  
It was halfway by his side already, when he suddenly looked up with wide and worried eyes, reaching out again, this time fast and going for his shoulder.

“Are you hurt? Your shoulder, is it—?”

Scott took a step sideways and forwards, but he could still see Stiles’ hand grasping the air.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, slowly walking past his friend.

He saw Stiles’ shocked and hurt expression before he left, but ignored it just like the other students making way for him with conflicted faces.

_I’m sorry, Stiles_

_Because of me, Malia starts getting the wrong impression…_

_And then she’ll probably give you problems_

_I don’t want that._

_So_

_I’ll..._

Someone grabbed his hand, and Scott whirled around.

Allison was slightly gasping for breath, facing the floor but holding his hand tight in her grasp.

“Don’t run away, Scott,” she breathed weakly.

Scott felt his body tensing.

_… Huh?_

_This_

_Wasn’t in the letter…_

_It’s different_

_From the future._

He took a deep breath once more.

“But they got into a fight because of me…” he mumbled.

His eyes were burning with the arrival of tears, and he blinked furiously.  
Scott turned his head away when Allison looked up, her face sad.

“I think you should talk to him,” she said quietly after a moment of silence.  
A thin smile tugged at her lips as she tugged at Scott’s hand to make him look at her again.

“He can’t concentrate during practice. He wants to talk to you, but he said he can’t explain himself well and gets dejected.”

A wave of surprise flooded through Scott.

“… He said that?” Scott asked, eyes widening slightly.

Allison shrugged.

“Yup. But well. If you run away all the time, he can’t talk to you. That’s a fact, Scotty.”

Scott huffed out a bitter laugh.

_… Was I_

_Actually seeing Stiles, though?_

_I was always_

_Super aware of Malia._

_Stiles called out to me_

_And I completely avoided him._

_If I called out to him_

_And he didn’t turn around…_

_Even though I was worried about that_

_I did something to him I never wanted to._

Allison pulled at his hand again, a meaningful look lighting up her eyes.

Scott smiled.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll go find him.”

“And talk to him!”

“And actually talk to him.”

Allison laughed softly, moving behind him and giving his shoulders a friendly push.  
“Then get going already!”

He nodded.  
“Thanks, Ally!”

She waved him off, and Scott ran with a grin.

He’ll talk to Stiles.  
  
He'll get his friend back.  
  


* * *

  
Allison turned around, facing the corner at the other end of the hall.

She rounded the corner, not bothering to look up.  
Instead she just leaned against the wall, crossing her arms and closing her eyes, the back of her head hitting the wall behind her with a thud.

“Thanks, Ally.”

“This was the first time you’ve asked me for something,” she sighed, opening one eye again and glancing up.

Lydia and Erica stood opposite her, both of them watching her with a serious expression.

“He’s hiding something from us, though,” Lydia said quietly, playing with her strawberry blonde hair.

“It’s Scott. So he won’t tell us,” Erica huffed, pushing herself off the wall with a frown.  
But then her face turned soft.  
“But I’m glad that Stiles helped him.”

Lydia glared at her.  
“Malia seriously pisses me off,” she hissed.  
“I know what she’s doing. And if you hadn’t stopped me, I would have sent her flying—“

Allison and Erica grinned as they linked their arms with their redheaded friend and walked away.

Their job was done.

For now, at least.  
  


* * *

_  
The me ten years from now,_

_Has regretted this the whole time._

_He had so much he wanted to tell Stiles…_

_And even though he’s not there,_

_He is here now._

_Even if it’s not clear right now…_

_We’ll fix it ‘til it is._  
  


“Stiles!”

Scott was panting by the time he reached the stairs in front of the school.

Stiles was already on the last few steps when he turned his head, looking up at him in surprise.

He opened his mouth, but this time Scott didn’t let him speak up first.

“Stiles, y-you see—“

A deep breath.

“Making you lunch wasn’t out of my way, y’know? You said you made me do it, but it wasn’t like that at all!”

He saw the other’s hunched shoulders loosen and straighten up.  
Stiles looked at him with a mixture of relief and doubt, his brows furrowed and lips opened in quiet shock.

Scott smiled.  
“I was so glad I could help you out, Stiles,” he said quietly, only for their ears to hear.

The corners of Stiles’ mouth suddenly twitched, and he looked like he wanted to say something, but Scott wouldn’t let him.

He shook his head and continued.

“You called my name that one time, but I didn’t answer you. I’m sorry.”  
His smile widened.

“What was it about?”

Suddenly, Stiles looked surprised again.

And also a bit hesitant; unsure of how to react to this.  
He clearly didn’t expect it and now seems uncomfortable.

It made Scott’s stomach ache with fear and worry.

“Stiles, what was it?”  
His voice grew louder and shrill with anxiety, his heartbeat banging painfully against his ribs.

The air around them seemed to disappear.

Stiles blinked up at him, lips turning into a tiny, sad smile.  
He raised his shoulders again, keeping them up, together with the weight of the world that's trying to shut them down.

His eyes were glistening in the sunlight and his one hand was curling into a fist, while the other clung to the strap of his bag so hard, his knuckles shone white beneath his already pale skin.

 _Oh, Scott._ He seemed to say with just his eyes.

But he didn’t.

And it made Scott’s heart break.

_Stiles is here now._

“Jeez, you’re late, Scott!”  
He squinted against the bright sun, grinning up at him.  
“I’ve already forgotten what it was!”  
Stiles huffed out a laugh.

“But…”  
Scott hesitated.  
“You’re worried about something, right?”

Stiles blinked up at him, hiding the surprise flickering over his face with a cheek-straining smile.

_Listen to me._

“How did you know?” He asked, laughing quietly.

Uncomfortably he ran a hand through his hair, before letting it rub at his neck.

_Let it reach him._

But then he let it fall and rest relaxed by his side and Scott smiled as Stiles grinned up at him, usual pale cheeks tinted a light pink.

_I want to treasure this._

Scott carefully made his way down the stairs, and Stiles followed him all the way down with his eyes.  
Their amber color was glowing like honey in the light of the sun.

_This one second…_

The air around them was back and lighter than ever; rustling their clothes and messing with their hair.

Together they turned their backs on the school.

_This one moment._  
  


* * *

  
“I think I’m gonna break up with Malia.”

Scott’s eyes widened.

They sat at a lunch table in the backyard of their school, watching the students around them doing their thing.

Laughing with their friends, studying in the shadows of a tree, feeding the small birds hopping around all over the place.

“What?” He frowned at the boy sitting opposite him.  
“How long have you guys even been together?”

Stiles looked at his hand, picking at his fingers.

“Uhm, about two weeks?” He mumbled, stating it like a question.

“That’s… a pretty short time,” Scott smirked, laughing softly.

Stiles smiled.

He propped up his knee, crossed his arms on it and nestled his face into the crook of his elbow, glancing up at Scott through a few strands of dark hair.

“Yeah, I know,” he agreed quietly, still smiling.  
“But…”  
He blinked owlishly.  
“Something’s not right, y’know?”

Scott hummed and Stiles sighed in response.

“Since we got together, something just isn’t right when we talk…”

“That was fast, though.”

“… Uh huh. But... I guess you shouldn’t pick based on looks.”

Scott almost choked on his own spit as he tried to hold back his laughter.  
He managed to reduce it to a grin.

“You only said yes ‘cause she was pretty?”

Stiles looked pretty grim at that, but lightened up soon after, laughing softly into his arms, hiding his face completely.

“I’m such an idiot,” he mumbled, making it sound even more muffled.

“Well, maybe she really is a good person?” Scott tried halfheartedly, kicking the other boy’s shin playfully.

Stiles looked up, resting his chin on his arms and looking thoughtfully at Scott, pulling his other leg back a bit.

“Sure, maybe. But I’ve already decided to break up with her.”

They sat in silence after that.

“Because… you fought?” Scott spoke up hesitantly, not liking to have to bring it up.

Because he was the reason they fought.

But Stiles shook his head.

“No,” he answered softly.

“’Cause you told me not to be with her in the first place, didn’t you?”

Scott froze.

_He actually got it…_

The brown haired boy could feel his cheeks heating up.

_That’s… embarrassing._

Stiles watched him with an amused expression for a second, before turning serious and sitting up straight, stretching his arms in front of him.

“I didn’t like the way she made me avoid you. She wanted me to only talk to her, and I hated not being able to talk to you and the others,” he confessed, voice and face going blank.

Scott watched as he ran a hand through his hair.

“Besides…”

His eyes never left Stiles’ face.

“There’s someone else.”

“Someone else…?” Scott repeated, blinking.

Well, this was unexpected.

Stiles nodded absently, watching the people around them without really looking at them.

“Yeah. Since I went out with Malia, I kinda figured it out.”

Scott swallowed.  
“You mean…”

Stiles perked up and glanced at him, but Scott could only see like one half of his face.

“Someone… you like?”

This time it was Stiles’ turn to blink.

But then he was slightly cocking his head and smiling at him so warmly and full of affection, Scott could feel his heart going into cardiac arrest.

He must’ve made a face, because Stiles suddenly laughed and stood up.

“I’m not telling you more!” He teased, winking playfully at him, and Scott huffed out a laugh.

Suddenly, Stiles clasped a hand around his shoulder before running off, waving back at him.

“Sorry, gotta get to practice! Thanks, Scotty! Later!” He yelled over his shoulder, grinning widely before disappearing in the direction of the lacrosse field.

Scott could only stare after him and just continued to sit there, getting lost in thought.

_Does the Me in the future…_

_Know who Stiles likes?_

The sun continued to shine brightly and the people around him continued to laugh, continued to talk.

Continued their lives.

And for a moment, the world seemed okay.

 

**TBC**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No trigger warnings for this one!
> 
> Again, sorry for the delay. I don't even have an excuse this time.  
> Just my stupid laziness.  
> (Also, I realized that my grammar in chapter 3 was like worse than usual. ugh. i'll try to fix it. i'm sorry 'bout that, too.)
> 
> I've got an important question for you guys, though. (well, 'important' depends...)  
> But since I got this one here pretty much figured out and only need to write everything down, I'm like almost done already! (If I could just get my lazy ass up and working, that is. But, not the point, haha.)  
> The point is, my brain's already working on different stuff.
> 
> As I said before, don't worry, I'll finish this story!
> 
> But, I'm already planning my next crossover.  
> And there's one that won't leave my head.
> 
> I won't tell you what the story is about, but, here comes the question -
> 
> Would you guys rather read something Sterek or Stydia centered?
> 
> I love both of the pairings, but I can't pick one. ugh. shipping hell is real
> 
> but well.
> 
> See you guys next time! Thanks for reading, and for leaving kudos and comments! I appreciate every single one of them. :3


	5. Change (We Are Infinite)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘Scott, I am so sorry.
> 
> I did something to offend you, and I’ve never stopped thinking about it. Not even now.
> 
> I did something wrong, and hurt you.
> 
> I know, recently I’ve been getting impatient, I felt down most of the times and I couldn’t control my own feelings.  
> I'm so sorry.
> 
> This is sudden, but…
> 
> If I asked you, who you gave the Valentine’s chocolate to…
> 
> Would you answer me?
> 
> But besides that…
> 
> I’m really sorry.
> 
> That’s it.
> 
> Thank you.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's still March.  
> Y'all know what that means?  
> Yooo, right-  
> TWO UPDATES IN ONE MONTH  
> I'M ON A ROLL AYYYEEE  
> (dont get used to it pls)  
> (it's 7am and i was writing and editing the whole night, i just wanna lay down and sleep for eternity)
> 
> oh well
> 
> no warnings, tho
> 
> except-
> 
> i'm no scientist, okay?  
> there's a bit of science-y stuff in here, but i suck at science (and also chemistry. dear lord. my biggest enemy in school, next to french)  
> so, i'm sorry if it's all wrong and sucks lol  
> (just accept it)  
> (or correct me, if you know the real thing. thx)
> 
> .. this chapter is so long  
> and so much dialogue  
> not much happening  
> .. ye  
> (some foreshadowing tho)
> 
> late, happy easter!

_On our war to Sheriff Stilinski’s house_

_All of us in the car talked about what we thought_

_Stiles would be like as a 26-year-old._

_A ‘parallel world’…_

_If such a thing could be real_

_And we were able to change the past_

_Then a 26-year-old Stiles would be in my world._

_Well…_

_That’s_

_What I thought._   
  


* * *

_  
May 24 th _

_“- This day starts with a week long absence from school for Stiles._

_\- I asked him about what happened, but he didn’t answer._

_\- Now I think it’s because it was his mother’s birthday._

_\- Stiles’ mother died on the day of opening ceremony._

_I asked after Stiles passed away.”  
_

* * *

 

  
_Maybe Stiles’ problems_

_Are about his mother._

_“I’m sorry for bringing this up. It must seem... weird to you…” He said back then.  
“No, I’m sorry for asking. And why would it be weird?” I replied._

_But if I_

_Actually asked him…_

  
“Morning, Scott!”

Scott gaped at Stiles.

The transfer student was soaking, dripping all over the floor.  
He was hugging himself, to probably stop the shivering.

“You’re so wet!” Allison stated the obvious with a shrill voice.

“Yeah, well, it’s raining…” He mumbled, blinking at them.

“Stupid,” Derek huffed, walking in after Stiles, soaking wet as well.

“Like you can talk,” Lydia muttered, eyeing him from head to toes.  
  


* * *

 

_  
June 21st _

_“- It poured all morning (but it cleared up in the afternoon)._

_\- I let an absolutely soaked Stiles borrow my emergency clothes I kept within my locker._

_But I wish I had a bath towel…”_   
  


* * *

 

  
“Here, use this—“

Scott handed over a small towel.

Stiles was staring at him dumbly.

“A bath towel? Why do you have that?”  
He laughed quietly, but took it gratefully nonetheless, drying his hair as good as he could.

“What about me, Scott?” Derek deadpanned, shoving his glasses up his nose.

Oh. Well.

“Ah, sorry, Derek…”

“Yo, Scott!”

Scott turned his attention back to Stiles, who was blinking up at him from beneath the towel.

The pale boy was smiling.

“Wanna go home together?”

“Huh?” Scott frowned slightly.

“Since it’s right before exams, we don’t have practice.”

“Oh, right. Yeah, sure, why not?” Scott shrugged and Stiles’ smile lit up.

“Lydia, Erica, you coming too?” The tan boy wondered, looking at the girls.

But they just smirked.

“Can’t. We have plans already.”   
Erica threw her blonde locks over her shoulder.

“It’s just the two of you,” Lydia smirked.

Scott’s back to frowning.

“Oh, okay. Allison? Derek?”

They both shrugged and shook their heads.

Scott was confused.

Well, probably because he didn’t notice Stiles standing behind him, and furiously waving the others off, telling them to leave the two of them alone.

… Yeah.

Probably.  
  


* * *

 

  
_“- Before exams, Stiles and the others don’t have practice._

_\- The six of us all go home together for a change._

_\- After we split up, Stiles asks me to study together on the weekend.”_   
  


* * *

 

  
When they walked out of the school, they were alone together.

Scott was confused.

They were supposed to all go home together!

Did something change?

But… what?

And Stiles looks happy, so it can’t be bad, right…?

Oh well…

“Scott, you live close to the preserve, right?”

Scott gave a confused nod and Stiles grinned.

“Let’s go check it out!”  
 

* * *

 

  
“Whoa, amazing!” Stiles exclaimed, amber eyes opened wide, face lighting up with joy and excitement.

They were on the cliff in the preserve, the one from which you could overlook almost all of Beacon Hills.

Everything looked even better by night, but in the light of day it worked well enough.

“You can actually see the whole city!” Stiles stated, climbing onto the piece of rock resting there.

“Yeah. There’s the border to the neighbor county…” Scott pointed out happily, watching as Stiles absorbed every piece of information he offered.

He continued to ask things, and Scott talked and talked…

Until he noticed that Stiles stopped asking, and was only observing him with a small smile.  
He some time decided to sit down on the big rock;  
Now he’s sitting there cross-legged, arms hugged around himself, but still eyeing Scott.

Scott wanted to ask if something was wrong, but Stiles beat him to it.

“Scott, close your eyes!”

“What? Why?”

“C’mon, Scotty! Please!” Stiles begged, getting up and face to face with him.

They were both almost the same height.

Scott frowned and reluctantly closed his eyes.

“What for, though?”

“You’ll see! Stay like that, ‘til I tell you to look again, ‘kay?”

His frown deepened.

He could hear Stiles fiddling with something and walking around.

Next, something cold touched his neck and collarbone and he flinched.

Stiles laughed quietly.

“Sorry, sorry! Here, just let me—“

Something clicked and Stiles’ cold fingertips brushed the back of Scott’s neck for a short moment.

Then there was a rush of air all around him, some more rustling of clothes, and then, finally—

“Alright, all good!”

Scott slowly blinked and squinted against the bright light, when he heard a weird clicking noise.

His eyes widened when he realized he was staring straight at the back of Stiles’ phone.

“Stiles, what the hell?!” Scott yelped, trying to snatch the phone from his friend’s hands.

Stiles laughed and hid it behind his back.  
“Sorry, I’m sorry!”

“You’re so not!” Scott huffed and Stiles shrugged nonchalantly.

“Delete it!” The brown haired boy pouted, stubbornly crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Sure,” Stiles smiled.   
“I just wanted to see that it looks okay. And look—“

He showed Scott his screen, and Scott froze.

There was his face.

Yeah.

He was squinting against the camera, as if he just woke up.   
Amazing.

But there was something bright and shiny hanging from his neck, and Scott tenderly reached up to touch the cold material.

“Stiles, why…?” He mumbled softly, his voice suddenly gone as he touched the golden chain and the ring hanging from it.

It was simple and delicate, but Scott could tell it held big of a meaning to his friend.

“It’s a present. For you.”  
Stiles’ smile was warm and open.

“You make me lunch and wake me up in the mornings.”  
He huffed quietly, reaching up to touch his neck, as he did so often.

“Thank you, Scott.”

Scott blinked rapidly.

“But… I…” He started, and Stiles cocked his head slightly, smile faltering with worry.

“I didn’t make you lunch, or anything, when you were with Malia…”

Stiles laughed it off.  
“You did before, though!” He argued, shrugging.

“You bought me a drink…” Scott continued timidly, taking his phone back and holding it close to his chest.

The other's laugh turned into a cute giggle.

Damn, he never heard a boy giggle before, he thought that only happened in, like, books and movies—

“That was too small!” Stiles replied and shook his head eagerly.

Scott laughed shakily, raising a hand to rub at his eyes.

“Ugh, you’re so…”  
He didn’t finish the sentence, but when he looked up, Stiles looked a bit worried.

Scott grinned and tried not to wince.  
~~(He was such an idiot--)~~  

“Thanks, Stiles.”

And just like that, it was gone.

Stiles smiled back, happy and bright and honest, his eyes lighting up in sync with his face for the first time in, like, forever, and Scott just wanted to treasure this moment.

_That really caught me by surprise._

_But ~~\--~~ _

_Stiles was so nice, it just got a bit too much._

_He cares so much…_

“Whew, that was embarrassing…” Stiles muttered, running a hand through his hair.  
“I was pretty nervous!”   
He grinned playfully, a light blush on his cheeks.

“I thought that was normal for you?” Scott teased and Stiles looked horrified for a second.

“This was the first time I did that!” He protested and Scott laughed.

The Polish Boy heavily sat down on the rock again and waved Scott down, too.

Scott obeyed wordlessly, and for a while they just sat there in silence, enjoying the view.

“You know…” Stiles spoke up hesitantly.

Scott turned his face to look at him, but Stiles was observing the town.

“I’m… alone with my dad now, y’know,” he continued, blinking and pulling his knees up to his chest, hugging them tightly.

The other boy’s heart broke already.  
But he didn’t say anything yet.

“But he… Actually, the same day you said you would make me lunch, he offered to go to work after I left for school. So… So he could wave me off, and ~~\--~~ and eat breakfast with me. He even said he’d make me lunch himself, if he had to.”   
A soft smile was tugging at his lips, but he never looked at Scott.

“But I… turned him down. Because you said you would do it.”  
He ran a hand through his hair, shoulders tensing.  
“That was... kinda selfish. I’m sorry.”

Finally, he looked up and into Scott’s eyes.

Scott froze.

Stiles got uncomfortable very fast, already averting his eyes and rubbing at his neck in distress.

But now all Scott could do was huff out a careful laugh.

“No, don’t worry. It’s fine.”

Stiles looked up again, his cheeks flushing a soft pink as he raised a hand to scratch at his cheek, smiling cautiously.

But instead of answering, he just nodded and looked at the setting sun with a relieved expression.

Scott followed his eyes, but glanced up at his face every now and then.

_… What’s going on in your mind, Stiles?_

His friend seemed absent, just sitting there and still hugging his knees to his chest.

They were sitting close to each other, shoulders almost brushing.  
Scott allowed himself to just lean into Stiles a bit; just briefly, craving the solidarity of the moment, barely even touching.

Stiles’ body next to him tensed up.  
But he didn’t pull away, didn’t even look at him.

And eventually, he relaxed just the slightest bit.

Scott smiled.

_I like you._

_I really do, Stiles._

_I know we’re both guys and I know we’d might get a lot of shit for it..._

_Hell, you even had a girlfriend just a while ago._

_But I’m so happy,_

_I want to just float to the sky with you and never come back down again._

_Ugh, this sounds so cheesy…_

“Hey, Stiles, let’s head home.”

“Alright.”

Stiles got up first and Scott was almost disappointed for losing contact.

But then there was a pale, slender hand in his face, and Stiles staring down at him expectantly.  
His amber eyes were light and big, and Scott could count all the moles on his friend’s pale face.  
For now, though, he seemed okay.

Scott smiled and gratefully took the offering.

Stiles continued to stare at him as he pulled him up, but let his hand go as soon as he stood.  
He didn’t look back as he began to walk down the path into the woods.

Scott hurried to follow after him, always staying a step behind.

“Hey, Scott.”

He hummed as an answer.

Stiles glanced back at him over his shoulder, smiling shyly.

“You free this weekend?”

Scott stumbled over his own two feet.  
  


* * *

_  
The future_

_Is slowly changing…_

Scott buried his face in his pillow, just to roll onto his back shortly after.

Carefully, he took out the ring from beneath his shirt.  
The chain and ring itself were shining brightly in the light of his room, and Scott spun it around between his fingers.

_It’s kinda pretty…_

He squinted and pulled it closer to his face, inspecting it.

_Did…_

_Stiles pick it out?_

_Maybe when he went shopping_

_With the girls?_

He sighed deeply.

_This is_

_Way more expensive_

_Than just lunch…_

_But_

_Not to wear it_

_Would be a waste._

Scott slowly got up and walked over to his desk.

_He also invited me to study this weekend…_

He shook his head and grabbed the letter.  
Carefully, he opened and read it.  
  


* * *

_  
“- After dating Malia for a month, it looks like they’ll break up._

**_//Be careful; he invites you to study, but you still do badly on the test._ ** _”_   
  


* * *

 

  
Scott put it down again, thoughtful.

_The letter said they’d be together for a month…_

_But_

_It changed_

_To just two weeks._

_Today, as well…_

_It’s all_

_Thanks to the letter._

_Thank you,_

_Future-me,_

_For sending me this letter._

_Did you…_

_Also get a present from Stiles?_

He glanced down at the ring dangling from the golden chain and picked it up again, spinning it once more.

Then he stopped.

Slowly, he brought it up to his face and squinted his eyes at it.

They widened with realization.

“Oh, lord,” he whispered, his other hand coming up to his face to rub at his eyes.

They began to sting, and he suddenly thought that he knew what kind of ring this was.

In a neat font was something engraved inside of the ring, followed by signs he didn’t know the meaning of.

_[Jesteśmy nieograniczeni. ](https://translate.google.ch/#en/pl/We%20are%20infinite.) _

He didn’t know the meaning of that, either.

But he sat down on his bed and cried.  
  


* * *

  
They met inside of the library.

Stiles seemed relaxed as they sat down, and Scott’s hand automatically reached up to touch his collarbone, where the chain and ring lay warm against it.

“Where are the others?” He wondered out loud; instead of touching the chain he reached up further, to scratch at his neck.

Stiles gave him a look.  
“They’re not coming,” he deadpanned.

Scott frowned.  
“Eh? Didn’t we invite them?”

The other rolled his eyes, taking a book from the pile in front of them.

“If we were all here, we’d just mess around and not study at all.”

Scott wanted to protest, but Stiles shook his head with a slight smile.

“Well, I asked Allison to come once more, but she said she couldn’t.”  
He shrugged and started to flicker through the pages, not looking up again.

His shoulders were still relaxed, so Scott left it at that and took another book for himself, smiling slightly.

Scott could feel eyes glare daggers into his back, but he didn’t turn around to see.

After a while, the feeling disappeared along with the loud slam of a door.  
  


* * *

_  
While Stiles was absent,_

_I tried to take notes for him._

_They were a mess, but still…_

_I handed them to him and hoped_

_\- way too late -,_

_That he wouldn’t get mad._

_But as always,_

_He was very happy about it._   
  


* * *

  
Stiles was staring at him.

Scott felt the other’s eyes lingering on him, so he glanced up from his book.

Stiles had his chin propped up in his left hand, while holding the book he was currently reading in his right.  
His face was blank as he stared at him, but as soon as Scott looked up, he buried his face within the pages.

He wasn’t fast enough to hide the smile tugging at his lips, though, and Scott couldn’t suppress a smirk.

It was so childish—

His smirk fell.

His eyes went back down, but he kept on glancing up.  
Stiles didn’t look at him again.

But still…

_It’s moments like these_

_Which won’t let me forget_

_That Stiles won’t be in our future._

_Just how sad_

_Was the future-me?_

_I don’t want to have to endure_

_The same fate._

_I want to_

_Save them._

_Stiles_

_And our future._

This time, it was Scott who stared.

Stiles unconsciously lowered his book by now, so he could see his face completely.

He was nibbling on his lower lip in concentration, frowning slightly at whatever words he was trying to understand right now.  
Scott could count the dark moles scattered all over the other’s pale skin; could see the way his throat was doing its work as Stiles swallowed and then licked his lips.

He mentally shook his head as his hand shot up to touch the chain around his neck once again.

_Damn, I’m being creepy—_

Stiles glanced up again.  
His features softened as he noticed Scott looking at him, and he blinked once, as if to tell him something with just his expression.

Scott frowned.

Stiles laughed quietly and raised his book back up, glancing over the edge of it and wiggling his eyebrows.

Scott shook his head and smiled, too.

Well.

He’d have plenty of time to save the future later.  
  


* * *

_  
"July 4th _

_We got our tests back in Chemistry and Stiles got the highest score in our grade._  
(I failed. Again. Of course.)”  
  


* * *

  
“Whaat, you got the best score?” Allison cried out and bent over his shoulder, frowning.

“Only in Chemistry…” Stiles murmured, clearly uncomfortable.

“You were even absent!” Erica whined.

“What cram school did you go to back in Poland?” Derek huffed, crossing his arms.

Stiles glared at him.  
“Shut up. Just because you failed—“

“Not bad, Stilinski,” Lydia interrupted, throwing her hair over her shoulder.  
Her eyes were calculating as they observed the transfer student’s face.

The Polish boy immediately brightened up.  
Smiling shyly, he answered: “Ah, thanks, I guess. But…”

He turned to face Scott.  
“You helped me out a lot, man. Thanks for studying with me!”

Scott just grinned in response, shrugging.

Behind them, Erica and Allison grinned smugly at each other and high fived.

Derek frowned.  
“What are you two so happy about? You both failed.”

“I’m gonna shove this paper up your—“

“As if you’re one to talk, Hale—“

Lydia rolled her eyes, with a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.  
  


* * *

__  
“After that, we still had some times left. So, Mr Harris talked to us.  
It was kinda interesting and I still remember it.

_It was about Time Slips.”_   
  


* * *

  
“So, let’s talk.”

Mr Harris was leaning against his desk, arms crossed on his chest.

“Before this test, I bet some of you were thinking ‘If only I knew all the solutions already!’, or, whatever. Well, some of you at least really would’ve needed it.”

He frowned, and there was giggling.

“Well. I think it’s possible to build a time machine.”

Allison next to him tensed and turned to look at him, but Scott was staring wide eyed at their teacher.

_Could that letter_

_Have come through_

_A time machine?_

_… Wait._

_There’ll be time machines_

_Ten years from now?!_

_But if there were…_

_Wouldn’t my future self just come back himself…?_

“First, though, to be able to go to the future at all, you’d need something that could move at the speed of light.”

Harris continued to talk about Einstein’s theory of relativity, but Scott lost track after like the first few words already and gave up.

He couldn’t see Stiles, but even Lydia seemed to be frowning.

… Or Harris just sucked at explaining.

Eventually—

“With this you can explain simple time travel. Theoretically, that is. Now, next is a theory based on improbable, but still possible, facts.

If one were to create a Black Hole, I think it’s possible to time travel. A Black Hole has an immense gravitational pull; it’s a force that swallows everything.

What would happen if you were swallowed by a Black Hole?   
There is a theory that time travel is possible through the time-space distortion, caused by the Black Hole’s enormous gravitation.

If a Black Hole could be used to manipulate things at will, then we should be able to build a time machine.  
Scientists have already started testing the creation of a black hole—“

“Mr Harris,” Derek spoke up, raising a hand at the same time.

Harris’ eyebrow twitched, but he remained calm.

“Yes, Mr Hale?”

“I think that time travel is impossible,” Derek declared firmly.

The whole class gasped in mockery, loudly whispering “Ohh!”’s and “Damn!”’s.

Harris took a deep breath and plastered a smile on his face.  
“And why is that?”

Derek pushed his glasses up on his nose.

“If we could temporarily travel in time, what kind of inconsistencies would occur? For example, if you went back into the past and changed things that you wanted…”

Scott gulped, eyes glued onto his friend.

Derek stared straight at Harris, who stared back.

“In the future that you changed… There would be no need to go back in time.  
But then—What about the you that used the time machine in the first place?  
Then there are limits to the amount of inconsistencies.  
So, I think time travel is impossible,” Derek finished, crossing his arms.

Harris took another breath, smile more like a grimace.

“Well. That is what we call a ‘time paradox’,” he explained.  
“There are many scholars who use that theory to negate time travel; but there are ways to not create a paradox, or inconsistencies--”

Scott could hear Erica bicker and Derek angrily hissing at her in response.

“And that’s a ‘parallel world’. The inconsistency lies within the idea that there is only one past and future. But a parallel world can create numerous crutches of the past and future.   
Changing the past in a parallel world, though, would let you create a different future. It wouldn’t affect your own future in any way.  
In a parallel world, you cannot change the past of the world you are in. And so, you can not develop inconsistencies.

So, if the possibility of time travel actually exists, we would have proof that parallel worlds also existed.”

The bell rang loudly, hammering against Scott’s ears.

Harris was still talking, but it was not important, and Scott turned in his seat to look at Stiles who sat behind them—

Stiles was grabbing his things on his desk and his bag ~~–-~~ not even bothering to put away his pencils and the case ~~\--~~ , head bent and ready to escape.

Scott shared a look with Allison, who nodded at him and shooed him off.

He mouthed a silent “Thank you” at her and hurried after Stiles, who just reached the door to the classroom.

There he almost ran not only into Stiles, but also into Lydia, Derek and Erica, who grabbed their things just as fast.  
Stiles didn’t even look at them and just left.

They all shared another long look with each other, before going after him.

“Hey, do you think, parallel worlds exist?” Erica suddenly spoke up.  
Instead of looking at them, though, she just pretended to be busy stuffing her things into her bag.

“I guess. It’s basically proven by science, isn’t it?” Lydia answered, frowning, and only giving her a short glance.

Derek shook his head.  
“No. There’s only one past and future,” he repeated and they all rolled their eyes.

Except Stiles.

The pale boy was staring at the ground, not even caring if he ran into somebody else.

Scott gnawed on his lower lip.  
“But if they do…” He eventually spoke up and Stiles seemed to perk up.  
“That means you couldn’t go and correct a mistake in the past with a time machine, and that’s sad…”

They all grew quiet after that, at a loss for words.

_That means…_

_The letter is changing this world for the better_

_And so the past changes._

_But_

_If there is only one past and future like Derek says…_

_Then by changing the past by sending the letter should mean_

_The future changes and so should the contents of the letter._

_But_

_The letter_

_Hasn’t changed at all._

_So_

_That means_

_That there should be a separate past?_

_With the existence of parallel worlds,_

_There is a world where the contents are the same_

_And then my world, which they’ve changed._

Scott froze.

His eyes began to sting, and he desperately raised a hand to rub at them.  
That didn’t really work, so he just let his hand rest on his face.

The others noticed that he didn’t follow anymore, so they stopped and turned to face him, asking what was wrong—

Even Stiles turned around, head raised just high enough to look at him with a worried frown; the hand that wasn’t clutching his things to his chest was twitching and slowly rising in Scott’s direction—

_I’ve helped Stiles_

_But_

_The me in the future_

_Who sent me the letter_

_Hasn’t changed._

_The me in the future_

_Hasn’t erased_

_Those regrets…_

_That’s…_

He was outright crying now, shoulders trembling, as he continued to stare at Stiles.

Allison came running up to them, Scott’s and her own things both pressed against her chest and stuffed into her bag, and together with their other friends they began to crowd him, asking him what was wrong, if he was hurt, how they could help—

But Scott couldn’t avert his eyes from the boy standing a few steps behind them all, finally meeting his eyes with a confused and pained expression; as if it hurt him to just watch Scott cry—

_I’m sorry—_

_To the other world’s Stiles,_

_I’m so sorry—_

Stiles looked so sad and helpless as he cried, but he didn’t step any closer.

The other people around them were whispering, frowning, worrying—

The transfer student seemed more distressed by each passing second, eyes flickering around between Scott and the other students, as if calculating something.

Scott thought about reaching out to him—

Just to tell him that he’s sorry, so sorry—

Stiles took a step towards them.  
  


* * *

  
“At the sports tournament, I wished he would’ve played lacrosse…” Scott said quietly, smiling sadly.  
“I wish I had made him lunch. If I had told him not to date Malia…”  
He sighed and looked at the others.  
“There is just too much I regret,” he whispered and carefully sat down on Stiles’ bed, smoothing out the covers.  
“I wanted… To give him so much more happiness…”

His voice broke and he had to bite back a sob.

Derek didn’t meet his eyes, but instead focused on the bookshelf, pulling out random books to read their descriptions, just to put them back again with a tiny and bitter smile.

Erica sat on the chair at Stiles’ desk, feet pulled up and knees pressed against her chest, hugging them tightly as she buried her face in them.  
She just lifted her shoulders.

Lydia was standing by the window and looking around the room quietly.  
She met Scott’s eyes for a second, before nodding in agreement.

Allison stayed in the living room with their daughter and the Sheriff.

Scott hiccupped quietly as his eyes scanned the room, too.  
Eventually, he reached for the nightstand.

His friends all watched him as he took Stiles’ old phone from it.

The screen was dark, but the battery probably still worked.  
~~(Sheriff Stilinski kept it charged to look through his son’s pictures every now and then-)~~

He knew that if he turned it on, the faces of the whole squad would grin up at him, all six of them.  
So, he left it off.

Still, he continued to hold it, clutching it tightly.

The others all continued to stare at him with sad, guilty expressions.

_A little before Stiles died_

_I got a text from him…_

_I never thought it would be_

_The last one—_

_I wonder_

_If he ever saw my reply…_   
  


* * *

  
_‘Scott, I am so sorry._

_I did something to offend you, and I’ve never stopped thinking about it. Not even now._

_I did something wrong, and hurt you._

_I know, recently I’ve been getting impatient, I felt down most of the times and I couldn’t control my own feelings.  
I'm so sorry._

_This is sudden, but…_

_If I asked you, who you gave the Valentine’s chocolate to…_

_Would you answer me?_

_But besides that…_

_I’m really sorry._

_That’s it._

_Thank you.’  
_

* * *

  
Stiles turned to look at him.

“You okay?” He asked quietly, handing him his bag.

Scott nodded slowly, taking it carefully.  
The door to the restrooms closing behind him sounded way too loud in his ears—

“Yeah, I’m…”

No.

“Better. Thank you,” he added cautiously.

Stiles eyed him carefully as they started walking.

Scott forced a smile.  
“I’m sorry. I just—was suddenly feeling not too well, but, really; I’m better now.”

Stiles didn’t say anything at first.  
His shoulders were tense, and he glanced sideways at Scott every now and then.

“It just happened so unexpectedly.”   
Stiles shrugged, like it was no big deal.

They both knew it was.

“You just… started crying,” he mumbled, and Scott blushed.

“Yeah… sorry,” he repeated, really meaning it.

Suddenly, Stiles stood in front of him, and Scott stumbled to a halt.

“I bought you lunch,” Stiles explained, holding up a brown paper bag.  
“You up to eat something? It’s nothing too heavy for your stomach. My treat.”  
He smiled softly.

Scott nodded, dumbfounded; yet a real smile was making its way across his face.

Stiles smiled back and led him out of the building, to the backyard.

Only few students turned their heads to look at them as they sat down on a picnic bench.

Stiles began unpacking the bag; pulling out a bottle of water, salted crackers and a chicken sandwich.

The other boy watched him for a while, before opening his mouth again.  
“Where is everyone?”

Stiles shrugged.  
“It’s fine.”

“… It’s fine?”

He only glanced at him for a short moment.

“They went back to their math class. Would you rather be with them?”  
Stiles paused in his movements, this time completely looking up.

Scott raised his hands in a defensive state, shaking his head.  
“Ah, no, of course not, it’s alright—“

The Polish boy smiled calmingly.

Scott couldn’t even answer it, because he suddenly remembered—

“Ah, wait—“

He grabbed his bag and went looking for something—

“Here we go!”

Scott pulled out a lunch box, almost slamming it on the table.

Stiles, who leaned a bit closer before, flinched back.

“Shit, I’m sorry,” Scott grinned and Stiles rolled his eyes.

“And that is…?” He asked dumbly, leaning closer again.

“Your lunch, idiot,” Scott sighed playfully.

Stiles looked up with wide amber eyes.  
“Wait, seriously?”

The other shrugged and nodded at the same time.

Stiles stared at him for a second — probably trying to figure out what he meant by that ~~-–~~ before grinning like a madman.

“Thank you.”  
His voice was warm and soft, though.

Scott smiled.  
“If you’d like, I can bring you lunch again from now on—“

“I would, I would! I’d love that— Seriously, thank you so much, Scotty!”

Stiles seemed so happy, Scott could feel his heart swell with anguish.

“No, thank you, Stiles,” he replied quietly, but the other boy heard him.

He just huffed out a humorless laugh and shook his head.

Scott bit down on his lip.

“I’m so sorry,” he breathed softly.

And for a terrifying moment, Stiles just stared at him.

He seemed to _know._

“Don’t be,” he answered just as quietly.

Scott held his breath.

“Whatever it is… Don’t be, Scott,” he repeated and blinked.

He could breathe again.  
  


* * *

_  
“- After Chemistry ended, we all walked to math and talked about the school festival._

_We told Stiles about last year’s festival._

_-They shoot off fireworks every year, and Stiles said: ‘Let’s go see them together!’.”_   
  


* * *

  
“Exams are over,” Stiles mumbled around a mouthful of bread.  
“There’s only the festival ‘til summer vacation…”

Scott kept his eyes on him, smiling.

_… So much changed already._

_We didn’t even walk to math together._

_So I guess our promise regarding the festival is gone, now, too…_

“If you could…”

Scott perked up.

“Go to the past, or the future… Which would you pick?” Stiles asked quietly, staring down at his lap.

The tan boy thought about it for a second before deciding.  
“The… future, I guess?” He answered, cocking his head.

“I mean, if I can’t change the past, then I’d like to know the future and change the present like that.”

Stiles seemed to think about that for a second.

He then smiled up at Scott.

It didn’t reach his eyes, though.

“I see,” he replied softly.  
“Well… I’d go to the past.”

Scott froze.  
“… How come?” He asked cautiously.

“I… want to erase my regrets,” Stiles said, his lips continuing to pull that forced smile.  
“Even if you… can’t change the past, my heart would be… lighter, I guess. That would be better; better, than carrying your regrets for the rest of your life.”

Scott stared at him in wonder.

“Your… regrets?” He repeated.

Stiles raised his head a bit and looked at him, stared him straight in the eyes—

Scott couldn’t breathe.

That forced smile turned just a tad too sad, too troubled for his likings, and he wanted to apologize all over again—

Stiles clapped his hands and grinned at him.

“Thanks for the lunch!” He blurted out and then grinned at Scott.  
“It was delicious,” Stiles added right after, grin almost straining his pale cheeks.

But all Scott could do was smile carefully in reply.

_Those words of his_

_Just now…_

_They weren’t about_

_Going forward_

_At all._

They stood up and packed their things, to walk back into class.

Stiles was always one step ahead of Scott; head lowered, hands clenched into fists by his sides, shoulders stiff.  
  


* * *

 

__  
“- By changing the past, we might also be changing good memories.  
(If that’s so, I’m sorry.)

_But_

_There is one thing in the past I don’t want to change._

****_\- That’s my memories of the fireworks._  
  


* * *

 

  
“Hey, Stiles…” Scott spoke up, softly;

At first, he feared that Stiles didn’t hear him; or worse, decided to ignore him, for some reasons.

But then the boy in front of him stopped.

He didn’t turn around, but he hummed in acknowledgement.

Scott could feel the palms of his hands getting slippery with sweat.

“Uhm…”

He fidgeted with his bag.

When he didn’t say more in a while, Stiles finally turned his head, a guarded but warm half-smile on his lips.  
  


**_Don’t lose that memory._ **

  
Scott’s cheeks flushed.

“Le-Let’s go…”

Stiles frowned worriedly, cocking his head slightly to the side.

Scott continued to stutter.  
“Ah, uhm… Let’s see, the— the fireworks…”

The other’s eyebrows disappeared behind a few strands of dark hair, while his lips quirked up in a amused smirk.

“Together!” Scott blurted out.

He slapped his hands over his mouth.

Stiles laughed.

“Ah, right!” He huffed lightheartedly.  
“Let’s all watch them together—!”

“Ah, no—“

Stiles froze and frowned again.  
“Huh? What—“

“Just… T-The two of us,” Scott explained, voice muffled because of his hands.

His face was flushed a dark red and he was frowning slightly in concentration.

“… Huh,” Stiles let out, observing him once again.

Scott closed his eyes.

_Ugh_

_I feel so_

_Awkward_

_And_

_I don’t even know_

_What did I just do_

_Oh my God_

Scott could slightly see how the world behind his eyes darkened as a shadow fell over him.  
He carefully blinked his eyes open, just to see that he’s face to face with Stiles and oh sweet Jesus on a Biscuit, what—

Stiles just grinned down at him, all teeth and dimples and glowing eyes, like the stars on a cloudless night—

His hand shot up to the chain around his neck.

“I’d love to,” Stiles answered, Polish accent suddenly very clear to his ears.

But he seemed very happy.

So,

Scott laughed.

_This is it._

_This;_

_Probably the first time in my life…_

* * *

 

Erica and Lydia next to her quietly high fived, grinning from ear to ear.

Derek pushed his glasses up his nose in a satisfying motion.

_The first time…_

Allison stood in front of them all, leaning around the corner of the school building, trying to wave the others back.

_Our hope_

The smile on her face grew even wider as she watched Stiles throw an arm around Scott's shoulders, both of them still laughing, as they walked towards the entrance of the building.

_For Stiles_

Lydia grabbed her arm and linked both of their elbows with each other, smirking up at her.

“This sure feels right,” she just stated and they all silently agreed.

_To be in our future..._

With Erica and Derek bickering behind them,

And their best friends in front of them,

They followed the others back into the school,

And everything was okay again.

_Our hope…_

_Has never been so bright._

**TBC**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Congrats! You made it through this kinda boring, dialogue-heavy chapter!  
> Sorry. Gotta keep the plot going, ahahah.  
> Again, if the HTML stuff is a bit off, I'll look at it later.  
> (7am, guys. I need my beauty sleep k)  
> Oh well.  
> Guys!  
> I will never be able to thank you enough for all your comments, kudos, bookmarks and subs! It means so much to me. Seriously.  
> Every time I log in to my account I'm so happy to see how the numbers grow bigger each day.  
> You're all so kind and lovely, I really enjoy crying with you about Sciles in the comments! :)) (


	6. Sacrifice (In Those Words, Hope Prevails)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia, though, stayed behind and looked at her friend with a serious gaze.
> 
> “You’re a fool, Allison,” she stated quietly.
> 
> She whirled around so fast, her red hair almost slapped into Allison’s face.
> 
> Allison’s smile fell, as she closed her eyes and slid down the lockers, pulling up her legs and burying her face in her knees.
> 
> The school bell echoed deafeningly loud through the empty hallways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so sorry
> 
> chapter title inspired by Zella Day - Sacrifice  
> (i should've just called the story that)  
> (bc seriously)  
> (all they do is sacrifice their happiness for one another)  
> (rip)
> 
>  
> 
> WARNINGS: Malia. I still don't like her. Also, the homophobic 'f' word gets mentioned once. i'm sorry.
> 
> Also, some real talk in the end notes.

_The me who sent the letter 10 years later_

_And_

_The me who exists in this world, right now_

_Might be_

_Two different people._

_Even if things_

_Change_

_Right now…_

_The world that I exist in_

_10 years later_

_Will not have_

_Changed_

_One bit  
_

* * *

“Just look at you!”

Stiles looked up when Allison jogged over, sitting down on the bench next to him.  
She had her dark hair pulled back into a loose ponytail, cheeks glowing red and wet from sweat.  
But she was smiling as she handed him a bottle of water.

He quietly thanked her and rubbed a hand over his forehead; the sun was shining down mercilessly, but Coach apparently couldn’t care less about that.

Allison kept looking at him and nudged his shoulder with hers.  
“You seem happy right now. Is there something I should know?”

Stiles felt his cheeks heat up even more, as he averted his gaze with a soft smile.

“I’m looking forward to the festival,” he admitted, opening up the cool bottle and raising it to his lips.

Allison seemed a bit surprised at that, her eyebrows barely moving up an inch.  
“Ah, I see! Well, it sure is something different and worth experiencing,” she agreed, nodding slightly to herself.

Stiles glanced over at her as he took a few gulps of water, but she wasn’t looking anymore.  
He set the bottle down again, rubbing the back of his hand over his mouth.

For a second, he hesitated.

“Scott asked me to see the fireworks with him…”

The pale boy watched as his friend’s shoulders tensed up.  
Allison looked up from her lap, but watched some of their team members who decided to just lay down on the field.

Stiles followed her gaze.  
“So… Is that okay?”

It was silent for a while.

Then, Allison laughed humorlessly.

“Why are you asking me?”

Stiles flinched.

“Yeah, well, uhm…”  
He shifted uncomfortably.  
“You like him, right?”

“… What?!”

Allison next to him jumped off the bench with wide eyes, now staring at him.  
Some students looked over, to see what the ruckus was about, and as she noticed, her cheeks became a dark red.

Sighing, she slumped down next to him again, hiding her face in the palms of her hands.

“I never even told anyone, is it— is it, like, _that_ obvious?”

Stiles laughed quietly, and carefully pried her fingers from her face; a soft smile gracing his lips.  
“I think everyone noticed by now… Except for Scott, of course.”

Allison groaned.

* * *

“Hey, do you guys remember last year’s festival?”

“Yeah, of course! I mean, how could I forget Derek’s amazing live performance?”

“Derek did _what_?” Stiles spluttered wide eyed, almost dropping his pencil.

“Ah, right!” Allison chimed in, tapping her brush against her chin in thought.  
“He was playing the guitar! And with him was, ah… Vernon Boyd, right?”

“Please, stop it,” Derek muttered, closing his eyes and rubbing a hand over his face.

Erica was grinning smugly, when suddenly her face lit up and she almost pushed over a bottle of paint.

“Hey, Stiles!” She called loudly.

Stiles flinched, almost messing up the poster he was working on, and looked up.  
When he saw her grin, his expression fell.  
“Oh, hell no—“

“You didn’t even wait to hear—“

“I don’t need to,” he interrupted her and frowned.

“But I just wanted to suggest you enter the Mr. Contest!” She pouted, crossing her arms.

The Polish boy just looked confused.  
“The what, please?”

“A contest for guys. There’s the same for girls, the Ms. Contest; almost the whole school always participates. Everyone else gets to vote, about looks and personality, and the one with the most points wins something,” Lydia explained halfheartedly, focused on her own poster. She didn’t even look up.

“So, basically, everyone’s judging each other, but, like, openly, in front of everyone else?” Stiles deadpanned and frowned.

“Exactly!” Erica chirped.

Stiles just shook his head and sighed.  
“No, thanks.”

“You’d have a good chance of winning, though,” Allison pointed out, wiggling her eyebrows and rolling onto her stomach, so another student could walk past her.

The teachers shooed them out into the hallways, to sit down and paint posters and flyers for the festival.

“I agree!” Erica jumped in, nodding furiously.

Even Lydia glanced up to smirk at Stiles.

“Oh, come on, guys, I’m not interested—“

“I’ll enter.”

“Derek, no, you won’t get one point—“

“That’s exactly what I’m aiming for.”

“Ah, but, Derek… If you’d just take off your glasses and stopped that tall, dark and brooding-look you’ve got going on there, you’d have a chance, too!”

They all turned to look at Erica.

Derek looked surprised, eyebrows almost vanishing behind a few strands of dark hair.

Stiles gaped at them, while Lydia and Allison began to snicker and Erica looked horrified, oh well—

Scott walked over with a few more bottles of paint in his arms, and Stiles’ gaze fell on him as he sat down with a frown.

“But then, he should enter, too,” Stiles grumbled, nodding at Scott.

The poor guy just set down the bottles and tubes, and then pointed at himself in a slow and confused manner.

“Uhm—?”

“I guess he wouldn’t do too bad,” Lydia smirked, as she scanned him from head to toes.

“Oh no, you’re talking about _that_ , aren’t you—“

“Hell _yes_ we are, and _you_ are going to participate—“

“Erica, no, I told you last year already that I’m not going to—“

“Well, what about you girls?” Stiles interrupted and they all froze, Scott passing him a thankful glance.

Erica was grinning, which Stiles took as a yes—

Lydia shrugged and probably didn’t care (but was going to enter, anyway. Because, hey, it’s Lydia), but Allison looked not so sure yet.

“Come on, Allison, you’ve got nothing to lose!”

“Yeah, maybe you’ll even win this year—“

“Hey, that’s not nice—“

“Well, she’s pretty popular on the team,” Stiles pointed out, spinning his pencil between his fingers and everyone shut up.

He looked up at that, and continued with a smile.  
“The other day, three comrades confessed to you, right?”

Allison looked a bit uncomfortable at that.

“What? Three of them? From the lacrosse team?” Lydia asked, frowning.

Stiles nodded.  
“Yeah, all of them at the same time, even.”

“Well, what does it matter?” Erica laughed, scooting over and bumping her shoulder with Allison’s.  
“Who did you choose?”

Allison shrugged.  
“I turned them down. All of them.”

She glanced at them all, before avoiding her eyes.  
“I have someone I like.”

Erica and Lydia looked at each other, before shrugging it off; but Scott seemed oh so amazed by that fact, it almost hurt to watch—

“Ah, yeah, it’s Scott, right?”

Stiles snapped his head so fast to look over at Derek, he thought he’d break it.

Allison’s cheeks were tinted a deep red already, as she stared at him, too.  
But then she turned to look at Stiles helplessly.

Stiles blinked at her, before slowly looking over at Scott.

Scott’s eyes just went from Allison to Derek and back again; they were as wide as a pair of plates as realization hit him.  
“Uhm, Allison…” He began carefully, hesitantly reaching out for her.

But Allison shook her head and stood up, her hair hiding her face as she walked off.

As soon as she disappeared around the corner, Lydia pulled at Derek’s sleeve while Erica slapped the back of his head.

“What the hell were you saying—“

“That can’t be, you idiot—“

Stiles glanced over at Scott, who watched the others, too.

But as they fought, Scott slowly began to nod and seemed to get lost in thought.

Stiles let out a deep sigh, as the other boy began to chew on his lip and scratch at his cheek, as he thought things over.

The Polish boy smiled sadly.

* * *

“We’re sorry, Ally, but…”

“We can’t help you out, we’re Scott’s allies— really, we’re sorry…”

“I know. It’s okay, I’m fine.”  
Allison waved it off, leaning heavily against the lockers behind her back.

Erica and Lydia exchanged a worried look.

“So, if they start going out, you’ll be alright with it?”

The dark haired girl smiled softly.  
“I know they’d be happy. So, yeah. I’d be, too.”

Lydia stepped forward and took her friend’s hands in her own.  
“Then, we’re going to cheer them on with all we have, together.”  
She smiled back, giving their hands a soft squeeze.

Allison’s smile wavered, and she blinked a few times.

Lydia laughed weakly and put her arms around the other girl’s shoulders.  
Allison buried her face in the redhead’s neck.

“Are you really okay?” She asked quietly, and Erica stepped closer to put a hand on Allison’s shoulder.

Allison wiggled herself out of the embrace and wiped the back of her hand over her eyes.  
“I know that it’s hopeless for me!” She laughed, blinking at them; surprisingly, there were no tears.  
“Besides, I’m also their ally, y’know!”

Erica smiled and highfived her, before she went back to their friends.

Lydia, though, stayed behind and looked at her friend with a serious gaze.

“You’re a fool, Allison,” she stated quietly.

She whirled around so fast, her red hair almost slapped into Allison’s face.

Allison’s smile fell, as she closed her eyes and slid down the lockers, pulling up her legs and burying her face in her knees.

The school bell echoed deafeningly loud through the empty hallways.

* * *

_ July 13th _

_“- The first day of our school’s festival!_

_\- Our class is doing a little market._

_\- The girls wanted us to wear those ugly shorts we once bought…”_

* * *

“ _Ta-da!_ Aren’t they cute?”

Derek rolled his eyes and turned away, while Stiles stared at them incredulously.

“Why?” Allison deadpanned, a blank look on her face.

“More like _why didn’t you wear them, too, like we actually planned, Argent—“_

“Don’t worry, Lydia, Scott makes up for it!” Erica smirked and wiggled her eyebrows meaningfully.

“I’m not—“ Scott protested weakly.

But then Erica grinned, walked behind her friend, and pulled down his dark brown shorts, to reveal—

“Oh my _God—“_

_“Scott, why—“_

“I’m so sorry! They forced me!” Scott cried out and furiously pulled up his shorts again, blushing like a tomato and glaring daggers at Erica, who was laughing loudly.

His eyes widened as realization hit him, and he looked at Stiles.

“Oh my God, you—“

Stiles raised his hands in a defensive manner, stumbling back a few steps and blushing, too.  
“N-No, I didn’t see anything!”

Scott relaxed.

Derek behind them snickered.

* * *

They had their market set up on the lacrosse field.

The field was full with many market stalls and other attractions; other students, most teachers and even some parents were walking around them, looking at the different goods they had laid out;

Most of them even selfmade.

Scott just brought up another tray of homemade cookies and cupcakes to put on display.

“It’s so hot!” Erica sighed and used a small towel to rub the sweat off her forehead.

“At least the crowd is decreasing,” Lydia replied, observing their surroundings; eventually, her eyes got stuck a little to their left, on the edge of the field and out of the way of all the main attractions.  
She frowned.  
“Those guys are lucky.”

Scott turned to follow her gaze and smiled.

Stiles and Allison both held a garden hose in their hands, splashing each other wet.

The Argent girl just let out a squeal and jumped back a few steps as Stiles hit her chest; the other wore a playful smile, seemingly more at ease than usual.

But just then someone called Allison’s name, and she turned around.

Stiles smirked, using the moment of distraction to hit her right in the face.

Allison cried out in surprise and she turned her back on him, yelling out “Oh my _God,_ stop playing dirty!”

The three guys from the lacrosse team were giving each other confused looks.

A tall, blond guy, who had a serious surfer-look going on, eventually took a step forward and said something they couldn’t make out from their place.

The girl in question frowned at him in response.  
“No, of course not, William. We’re just playing around,” she said, giving him a pointed look and glancing over at Scott and the others.

“Don’t tell me!” Erica gasped and gaped, like a fish on land.

“Is that the rumored lacrosse trio? The one that asked her out?” Lydia added and pouted.

“Did she even properly reject them?” Derek threw in, standing up from his seat on the grass and joining his friends.

They just shrugged.

Right now, another guy stepped forward; again, talking so quietly they didn’t understand him.

But whatever he said made Allison thoughtful for a second, before she shrugged.

Then she turned to Scott.

“Hey, Scott! Come over here!” She called and waved him over.

Scott frowned at the others, before slowly making his way over to them.

When he wasn’t far away anymore, Allison came to meet him—

And handed over the hose.

“What the—“

“Sorry, I’m going to take off for a bit,” she explained with a sweet smile.  
Scott looked over her shoulder, and found the three guys glaring at him.  
He gulped.  
“So, yeah. Please take care of this for me?”

His gaze wandered over to Stiles, who cocked his head to the side and stared at him blankly.  
When he noticed Scott looking, though, he blinked a few times as if to clear his head, before carefully smiling and nodding.

Scott nodded in response.

Allison clasped both her hands on his shoulders with a wide grin.  
“Perfect! Thanks, Scott!”

She then took off with her boys.

Behind them, Lydia nodded appreciating at Allison, while Erica gave her a thumbs up.

Allison just smiled back thinly before she got dragged away.

* * *

_“- When the afternoon crowd decreased, Allison told me to take over her place and let me be together with Stiles._

_I want her to know, that I’ve noticed all the time she’s been worried about me.”  
_

* * *

At first, they stood in awkward silence.

But then, Stiles’ knuckles turned white around the hose as he spoke up.

“Allison is incredibly good when she’s doing club activities…”

Scott felt himself frown slightly, but kept quiet.

“She’s good at lacrosse,” he continued, carefully avoiding to look up from his feet.  
“She has better judgement than the captain, so everyone kinda relies on her…”

Scott hummed in response, looking at Stiles.

Finally, he looked up and met Scott’s eyes with a soft smile.  
“I really like that,” he admitted calmly. “I think… I want to cheer her on. Y’know, about the person she likes.”

His friend couldn’t help but smile back now.  
“Same!” He agreed, huffing out a soft laugh. “It would be nice, if all would go well for her!”

Stiles’ smile thinned.

“Yeah. Right.”

They fell into an uncomfortable silence once again.

Scott averted his eyes first.

_I know_

_About it._

_That_

_Allison is_

_Always_

_Looking out for me._

_Always_

_Kind to everyone._

_It’s just become_

_So_

_Natural._

“Come to think of it…”

His head snapped back up to look at Stiles, who was looking at him shyly.

“Do you… Still have, y’know, the ring— uh, necklace— whatever.”

Scott was taken aback by the sudden change in topic.

“Huh?”

“Well, I just— If you… Don’t want it, I could get you something different,” Stiles murmured, cheeks flaming up in an embarrassed manner.

“What? No!” Scott exclaimed and Stiles flinched, looking at him with wide eyes.

Scott huffed and forced his voice to calm down.  
“I just… If I wear it and somehow break it, or… lose it, I’d feel really bad, y’know?”

Stiles seemed surprised by that answer.  
But then he smiled.

“I see.”

_Should I_

_Ask him?_

_About_

_The ring_

_And_

_Its meaning?_

  
The transfer student was looking at him strangely.

…

No.

Not now.

* * *

Scott stared at his reflection in the mirror, his right hand cautiously reaching up to his neck and touching the cool metal resting there.

He had kept it in the pocket of his shorts, occasionally touching it whenever no one else was looking.

The air around them was different since Stiles asked about it; distant, and Scott didn’t like it.

Now, the sky was tinted a darker blue, and the whole school is putting away their stuff.  
Most of the students were done already and just stood around talking to each other, waiting to be given the 'clear' to go home for today.

Scott hid in the restrooms, twirling the chain between his fingers.

_Maybe_

_I shouldn’t…_

But he shook his head furiously and slapped his cheeks twice.

Determined, he pulled a flannel over his shirt, since the air cooled down by now and was getting quite fresh.

After a final glance into the mirror and running a hand through his dark hair, he walked out into the hallways.

And straight into—

“Hey.”

Scott froze.

Malia stood there, right in front of him.

“I saw you at the library with Stiles earlier. What did you do?”

“We, uh… studied?” Scott replied helplessly.

At the girl’s piercing gaze his hand shot up to touch the ring on his chest, and Malia followed his hand with her eyes, frowning.

She let out a _‘hmph’_.

“Is he— No. Are _you_ gay? Are you two going out?”

Scott’s eyes widened, and he blushed.  
“Wh-What? No! We’re just— just, friends…”

Malia’s pink lips curled into a snarl, eyebrows twitching in disbelief.  
“Well then. Why don’t you just stay away from Stiles? I don’t want to see you together.”

Scott flinched and took a step back.  
If looks could kill, he would’ve dropped dead at last now.

“And by the way, what’s up with that necklace?”

Malia took a threatening step closer.  
She was shorter than him, but she had her hands crossed on her chest and was daringly looking up at him.

Scott’s hand closed around it.  
“It’s none of your business, Malia,” he answered quietly.

She held out her hand.

“Let me see it,” she demanded, frowning.

“No way!”

“Why? Where did you get that?”  
She cocked her head, expression suddenly unreadable.

Scott hesitated.  
“This is…” he whispered, blinking.

_… an important gift Stiles gave me._

One of Malia’s friends appeared by his side out of nowhere, grinning smugly and reaching for the ring, too.  
“We just want to see it close up! Give it here—“

A loud slap echoed through the hallways.

Students halted in their conversations and turned around to look at them with wide eyes.

Scott looked at his hand, still frozen in midair.

But one voice called out loud and clear.

“Stop it!”

Malia’s friend flinched and pressed her hand to her chest as she took a step back towards Malia, baring her teeth like a wild animal.

“Ow! You stupid fag—“ she exclaimed, but the other voice drowned hers out.

“What are you doing?”

Scott blinked and stared at Allison’s back in front of him.

The insult made him flinch, his chest tightening.

She didn’t turn around; kept facing Malia.

Malia’s gaze flickered from Allison to Scott and back again, suddenly biting her lip uncertainly.

But then Allison whirled around, her long, dark hair flying around her as she grabbed Scott’s hand while walking past him.

“C’mon, Scott. Let’s go.”

And as she pulled him along, Scott could feel his eyes begin to sting.

Allison kept looking at the ground but didn’t let go of his wrist.

Scott clenched his eyes shut.

“I’m sorry, Ally,” he said quietly, but she heard him nonetheless.

“Why are you apologizing?”

He shrugged, even though he knew she wouldn’t see it.

As Allison led him back outside, she spoke up again.  
“I saw that that bitch scratched your hand, is it okay?”  
She glanced over her shoulder.  
  
“Don’t worry, it’s alright,” he shrugged it off again and then finally looked up at her.  
“Nevermind that, what about you? What were you even doing there? What about those guys—“

She smiled softly.  
“Yeah, it’s fine, don’t worry.”

Then, she turned back to face ahead.

“This is better,” she whispered, undoubtedly not meant to be heard by stranger’s ears.

But Scott’s eyes widened.

* * *

_“- At that time, Allison seemed to treasure the moment; the way her fingers gently curled around my wrist as she pulled me along through the crowd of chattering students, out into the cool evening air, bashful and caring._

_If you notice her kindness,_

_Please tell her ‘thank you’._

_I’m sure it’ll make her happy.”  
_

* * *

“Stiles, I’m sorry!” Allison exclaimed and put her hands on said boy’s shoulders.

Stiles frowned.  
“Eh? What?”

She blushed furiously, avoiding his eyes.  
“Just… Sorry!”

“I… Don’t know what you’re talking about—“

“That’s why,” Allison replied and began rummaging in the pockets of her jeans, “please, give these to Scott!”

She placed them in Stiles’ hand, smiling softly.

He kept frowning; only glancing down, to meet her eyes again.  
“Band aids?”

Allison just nodded her head in Scott’s direction.  
“He hurt his hand!”

She let go of his shoulders and gave them a gentle push in the right direction, giving a thumbs up.

So he slowly made his way over to Scott, who stood a few feet away from the others.

“What happened?” He asked without greeting him.

Scott jumped and whirled around, wide eyed and flustered.  
“H-Huh?”

“Hand.”

“O-Oh, it’s, really, it’s nothing—“

Stiles reached out and took his hand into his own, careful of the red, angry scratches stretching across the back of his hand.

Scott froze.

Stiles’ fingers were pale and slender and cool to the touch, turning Scott’s hand around with a sort of care he rarely experienced before.

And then, he pulled the bandaid out of his wrapping and cautiously put it on the grazes, fingers brushing over the smooth surface to straighten it out and Scott blushed; his hand twitching in Stiles’, wanting to pull away.

_But how did he even know—_

Scott’s face lit up.

“Allison gave them to me,” Stiles explained unnecessarily, as if he just read his mind.

Scott smiled happily.  
“Yeah, I know.”

He turned around to face Allison, who was looking at him surprised.

“Thanks, Ally! Y’know. For, like, everything!”

At first, Allison’s cheeks turned a bright pink.  
But then she took a deep breath and turned her head away, raising a hand to her face.

Scott’s smile fell.  
“W-Wait, don’t tell me you’re crying—“

But the Argent girl let out a sound between a sob and a laugh, before looking at him smiling and teary eyed.

“I’m just happy!” She huffed.

Scott let out a sigh of relief and walked over to embrace her.

Stiles smiled thinly and turned around.

* * *

_I wonder_

_If the future me knew,_

_That the past can’t be changed and_

_Sent the letter._

_I might_

_Not be able to_

_Resolve_

_The sadness_

_And_

_Regrets_

_Of my future self._

_However,_

_Surely_

_My future self_

_Is properly_

_Moving forward._

* * *

_“- Allison is an important person who rescued my heart.”_

* * *

 

  
In those words, hope prevails.

 

**TBC**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so, so sorry for the delay.  
> This chapter was supposed to be up at the end of April, but life decided to fuck me up. (Thanks for that, life.)
> 
> Before I start ranting, I want to thank you guys for your support so far. You're amazing! I'm still shocked about all the positive response I've gotten. And I'm only a few chapters in. So, really. Thank you!
> 
> I want to recommend a song to you guys, which talks perfectly about what I am going to say soon -  
> It's called "Be the Light" by One Ok Rock.  
> Maybe check it out if you feel like it; it's so beautiful.  
> (I might add a link later.)
> 
> But yeah. So, real talk.
> 
> If some of you didn't already guess it - this story is going to be about touchy subjects soon. It won't just stay about this love triangle we have going on at the moment.  
> But those touchy subjects are important.  
> Because, guys, they're real.  
> They're real, and people don't want to face them, until they're getting t o o real, and you can't change anything about it anymore.  
> People close their eyes, because those subjects are ugly; they are so very far from nice and funny, so nobody wants to deal with them.  
> But those who are f o r c e d to deal with them might have enough of it soon enough, and then what? Right. Yeah. It's too late to help, to do anything.  
> There'll be regret, an important topic displayed here.  
> 'Oh, I wish I would've done it; I should've done this, done that. What if, what if, what if-'  
> But it's going to change absolutely nothing. Because it's too late.  
> We need to act n o w, as it is happening right in front of our eyes.
> 
> Yeah. I needed time to get myself back together, and this is what I thought of the past month. Fun times, fun times.  
> I'm still far from back on track, but writing brought back a sense of normalcy I needed oh so badly right now.
> 
> Act, people. Act now, for as long as you still can. 
> 
> I won't go into details about what happened; maybe you guessed it.  
> But I started this story because of the place I used to be at; because I loved it; because I could relate; because I f e l t it.  
> Because I had friends in the same place as me.
> 
> Well. Now I can say that I talk from experience.  
> Maybe you'll notice a change in writing from the next chapter on; this was almost done, so I didn't change it in any way.
> 
> I'll probably portray things a bit differently from now on, so yeah.
> 
> But I don't want to make this note about me, or what happened, or my writing, no.
> 
> I want you to act.  
> Not for myself.  
> But for you; yourself, and those around you.  
> You notice that someone around you is struggling in any way? It doesn't matter if you never talked to them before. Please, talk to them. Just do it. A friendly smile and a 'hello' could already make up their whole day. Team up with them for a project for once.  
> Maybe sit down next to them in lunch. Talk about the smallest things; maybe about a exam you took together? About how much of a dick that one teacher is? Ask them about their favorite bands and music. Compliment them on their wardrobe.
> 
> You probably don't even know how much a small conversation could change for a person. It could literally save them.
> 
> This, folks, is all.
> 
> And if you're still reading - 
> 
> Thank you.
> 
> I'm sorry.
> 
> I will see you soon. Hopefully.


End file.
